Am Zahreik
by chocolafied
Summary: Aeiron Stormblade, Thane of Whiterun, is a person of many different things; dangerous and swift nearing the top of the list. Her feet lead her to Jorvaskr after the end of the Civil War and the destruction of Alduin and she finds someone that makes her think that maybe she doesn't have to do everything alone anymore.
1. Chapter 1

**So I decided to write a story about my Dovahkiin from Skyrim! :3 Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

_Aeiron be fast_

_Aeiron be quick_

_Aeiron, don't die..._

* * *

The Imperials were driving the Stormcloaks back, pushing them further into the woods. Galmar Stone-Fist cursed under his breath as another soldier fell a few feet away from him. "Dammit!" He shouted, turning to yell at one Stormcloak who was crouching beside him behind a log. "Where's Stormblade?"

"I don't know!" She shouted back. They both turned to look ahead briefly before ducking down to avoid the next onslaught of arrows being rained down upon them. Three more soldiers fell close by, falling as ragdolls would to the ground. They were nearing the other side of the woods. The road began showing through the thicket of the trees and tall grass.

"Aeiron!" The old bear growled out into the air, the grip on his battle axe handle tightening.

"Here!" A female voice cried out through the shouting and screams. The brogue in her voice was unmistakable. Galmar turned around to see a short Nord woman with mid-back length chocolate brown hair head towards him. Her hair was a mess, matted in clumps in places and making it bob lightly as she walked over to the other general. She was wearing the same set of armor as him and bearing a few new scratches on her arms and legs. Her gray-blue shined defiantly and burned anything in site.

He smirked dryly, rising slightly to meet her. "Stormblade, what kept you?"

Aeiron laughed bitterly, grasping his arms with her hand firmly. "Imperials met me on the way here. I guess they didn't want the star of the hour showing up at the event." She shrugged, lips puckering slightly and showing off the scar that trailed from her lips to the underside of her jaw.

Galmar chuckled and let go of her hand, pointing towards the battle field. "The Imperials are driving us back." The old man then looked back at the younger woman. "Think you can make them run with their tails between their legs?"

She grinned, intertwining her fingers and bringing her hands up to crack her knuckles and raising her arms above her head as she stretched. Aeiron tilted her head to each side once before rolling her shoulders. After sighing lightly, she reached in back of her and unsheathing her steel battle axe, one almost identical to the old generals, but the Celtic markings were different; foreign to the land.

"I'll start going," the female general stated, looking up at the older man and giving him a nod before looking back out into the thicket of the woods where the battle still raged on. "When I reach the half way mark, rally the troops and start following my lead." Aeiron didn't wait for his approval for her plan of action before vaulting over the log that was covering them from enemy fire and running into the battle.

Galmar shook his head, muttering "Crazy girl..." under his breath before turning away to look in another direction. He raised his hand in the air and shouted. "Ralof!"

Aeiron was fast, even when lugging around her battle axe. She had to be. She was smaller than most, but deadly nonetheless. The generals made sure to sharpen their weapons prior to the occasion of slaughtering Imperials as she swung at her first victim, bringing the axe around her broad body with one arm and striking down another enemy soldier. Both hands now gripped the handle as she brought it down above her head, slicing through another enemy before letting her left hand go and bringing her blade around her once more with her right arm.

She turned around, just in time to bring up the handle of the large weapon to block a blow of an Imperial sword aimed for her head. Aeiron kicked the enemy soldier in the groin and then brought her axe down as he stumbled back, decapitating him. Another soldier tried to flank her on her left. The female general brought up her leg and kicked him back, her axe following her body as she sliced the soldier in two.

Another one was running towards her, readying his arm to swing down at her. Aeiron reached at her thigh and unsheathed an iron dagger and then threw it, the blade piercing the Imperial's chest and he fell with a cry of pain. From somewhere in the battlefield, she heard shouts and cheers of "It's Stormblade!" "Stormblade!"

"On her!" The enemy general shouted as he pointed at her. His dark eyes and brow made his anger apparent as he urged more men after her. They drew their swords as they charged forth towards her. Aeiron reached the middle of the battleground when she saw them rushing towards her.

"Die, you Faithless Imperials!" Aeiron turned around at the hoarse battle cry, seeing Galmar charging forward with about seven more of their own. The Imperials began diminishing in numbers, the battalion now one-third of the size that they were before the female general showed up.

Aeiron gave a shit-eating grin, turning her attention to the enemy and raising her axe's handle to push away the soldier that was coming directly at her. She kicked him again for good measure, heart singing as she brought her axe up in a golf swing. She turned and brought the axe down again, the blade digging into the back of an enemy soldier fighting another Stormcloak. When the body fell, the Nord grinned at her, a fellow pair of blue eyes gleaming in amusement. "Thanks, Aeiron!"

"Watch yourself, Ralof! I don't feel like carting you back to Riverwood!" She called over her shoulder, cutting through another Imperial's legs.

She heard him chuckle in the background of the noise. "I can say the same for you, General!"

The enemy numbers were dwindling at the sudden push back by the Stormcloaks. They were winning, beating the Empire back. An all too familiar roar then filled the overcast sky above. Aeiron froze, letting her axe drop to her right hand and looking up, seeing a dragon circle above before landing down on the ground in front of her. The ground shook below her and trees around her toppled down, but she didn't move. It's roaring rang through her ears and the pounding of the blood in her head arose. "Dragon!"

"Stormblade!" She heard Galmar shout after her.

Aeiron cursed under her breath and bent her knees, left hand gripping the long handle once more. And from the dragon's mouth, the word "YOL" erupted in flames.


	2. Chapter 2

The bedroom door opened and then closed with a slam. "Aeiron, get up!" The brunette in bed groaned as she rolled over onto her stomach and brought the skins over her head and exposed her bare feet. Lydia sighed and sat at the edge of the bed, nudging the lump that was lying underneath the covers. The Housecarl sighed in frustration and raised her voice. "Aeiron!"

"What?" Aeiron's voice came out muffled and dragged out from underneath the pelts. The Housecarl felt like rolling her eyes as she began nudging at her Thane once more.

"It's already four in afternoon. Get up!" Lydia stood on her feet and pulled the covers off of the lazy bum of a Thane. Aeiron rolled slowly and landed on the floor, merely groaned again as the brightly lit room's light pierced her eyes. Groggily, the Stormcloak's eyes blinked her eyes up at her Housecarl and was greeted with a scowl. "I already made you lunch. It's on the table downstairs."

Aeiron sighed and sat up off the floor, eyes scanning the bedroom. She got up slowly, groaning at the old cuts and burns from a month ago that were vaguely reminding her that they were still there, though barely. Her legs felt stiff as she walked over to the small table in the corner of the room where her Officer Armor lay, folded neatly over the back of the chair; the boots sat on the seat and the gauntlets were placed neatly on the tabletop.

Lydia could be heard walking around downstairs, probably setting the table for the both of them. Aeiron smirked lightly as she mentally thanked the woman and began pulling off her large tunic top. At the foot of the stairs, Lydia stood with her arms crossed, tapping her foot impatiently. "AEIRON!"

"WHAT?" The brunette walked towards the stairs, pulling her hair out from underneath her armor as she slowly walked down the stairs. The Housecarl sighed and followed Aeiron to the table and sat down across from her.

Lydia watched her dig into the venison hungrily, fork and knife cutting apart the meat with powerful strokes. When Aeiron had a mouthful of meat, she sighed and looked down ather food for a moment before looking back up at the general. Lydia closed her eyes and sighed.

"Look," the Housecarl began. Aeiron paused and looked up at the older woman, blinking her eyes innocently. "I know it's only been a month since you killed Alduin and you're still recovering, but I can't keep taking care of you like this! You sleep half the day away and are up until the sun rises and you're not eating properly!"

The soldier swallowed and pursed her lips, looking down at her meal. "And with the dreams that you keep having from the war..." Lydia continued. "It ended two years ago!"

"Lydia," Aeiron spoke quietly before reaching over to her goblet of milk and taking a sip. She swallowed and spoke up again. "The battle is over, but the war is far from that." Lydia's dark brown eyes met the Stormcloak's gray-blue ones. She sighed again, beginning to dig in once more. "I'm sorry I've been such a burden on you, Lydia. You deserve a life of your own..."

"That's nonsense!" The Housecarl interjected. She watched the woman who she was sworn to protect smile bitterly. "I am sworn to guard you with my life, to carry out your wishes and to shoulder your burdens. Why...?"

"Lydia." Aeiron's soft voice cut through her rant. "Don't misunderstand me; I appreciate _everything,_" the general smiled lightly, taking another sip of milk before standing up slowly. Lydia's gaze followed her the entire way. "But..." The brunette sighed, looking down at the table before back up at her Housecarl. "If I'm stressing you out that much, just let me know. I can take care of myself, _Monah_."

Aeiron slowly walked to the door, picking up her signature steel battle axe that hung on the weapons rack by the door. "Wait!" After sheathing her weapon, she turned to see Lydia standing from the table and looking like she was about to run after her. The general stood for a moment and turned to face her completely. "The Jarl wanted to see you. He wanted to see how you were doing."

The brunette smirked and turned to head for the door, waving at her with the back of her hand. "I'll be sure to stop by and say 'hello' to Vignar."

Lydia sighed and sat down after the door had closed. Aeiron was right; she was acting like her mother.

* * *

Heimskr was still preaching in front if the statue of Talos just like he was a month ago when she last walked through the Wind District of the city. The Gildergreen still had fresh flowers on its branches and children were still running through the city.

Aeiron also bitterly smiled at the fact that she still got the same dirty looks from the same people ever since the Battle of Whiterun, especially the Battle-Born family. She would smile pleasantly in greeting as she passed them, a practiced facade as they would scowl and grumble lowly behind her back. She returned the favor by smiling cynically at them.

The Stormcloak guards in the city made the offense seem more trifle than it actually was. They all nodded as she passed by, hand over their heart as they chanted her nickname on the battle field. She would laugh, just like a month ago and tell them to stand "at ease" as she passed by. Some of them would shake her hand, thank her for saving a parent, a sibling, a child. Aeiron would say as usual that she was just doing her job and thanked them for the kind words.

She mentally laughed when she saw the soldiers by the doors to Dragonsreach stand up straighter, heads higher in the air. One of them opened the door for her.

Aeiron nodded, a thank you leaving her lips as she ordered them to be "as they were". The second she entered the keep, attention was drawn her way. The Stormcloak guards on the inside by the door slackened their posture to gape at the war hero.

"Stormblade!"

They all saw her give her trademark smirk and wave them off casually. "Hi, fellas!"

As she casually walked up the stairs, Vignar was out of his seat and was walking towards her.

"Well, well!" He spoke loudly, clasping her forearm with his and shaking it firmly. "Look who decided to come by and say 'hello'!" Aeiron smiled widely up at the man, laughing lightly as she let go of his arm.

"Lydia said you wanted to see me," she replied. The Jarl wrapped an arm around her shoulder and the two began walking towards the second staircase that led to the war room and to the Great Porch.

"I was getting worried," the old man confessed. The brunette shook her head and chuckled.

"All for little ol' me?"

"I missed our chess games."

They reached the top of the stairs and Vignar unwrapped his arm, walking towards the strategy table where Hjornskar Head-Smasher stood as he eyed over the map on the tabletop. She sighed when she saw the change in his face and his body stiffen. His eyes were wide and blinking rapidly, almost bulging out of their sockets. His hand automatically went to his chest. "Storm-"

Aeiron raised her hand, smiling lightly and closing her eyes before looking up at the man once more. "It's good to see you too, Head-Smasher." Her hand went back to her side as she turned to look over at Vignar. "I have a feeling that I'm not here just for a little chat." Aeiron's gaze switched between Hjornskar and the Jarl for a moment before she sighed and put her hands on her hips. "Alright, what's going on?"

The Jarl sighed. "It's the Imperials."

The brunette's brow narrowed. "What about them?"

"We've recently received word that they may try to take back Whiterun soon."

Both generals looked at each other for a moment before she looked back at Vignar. Aeiron let out a deep breath of air, glancing at a nearby wall before turning back to the two men. "Figures as much…"

"We all know you're still recovering from your battle with Alduin—"

"To Oblivion with that!" The woman's brogue was strengthened with her abrupt shouting. The two men blinked at her, apparently startled. "I'm fine enough to go to battle again if I must. Just say the word and I'll run out there in a heartbeat!" Aeiron gestured to a wall far away from her before crossing her arms as if to stop any protests before they began.

Vignar chuckled lightly, admiring her ambition. "I was expecting you to say that. How's your swinging arm?"

Aeiron shrugged with a casual smile. "I'll need a few Imperials to warm up on, but otherwise fine." The smile faded away as another thought came to mind. "Do you know _exactly_ what we're up against?"

"We believe that they're still planning out how they are going to strike, if at all." The female general turned her head when she heard Hjornskar's voice. "Ulfric already knows what's going on and is sending in more troops over. We'll let you know if we have any more information." Aeiron nodded sternly and looked back at Vignar.

"Thanks for keeping me in the loop. I'll be sure to stay close to home for the time being."

Vignar nodded. "That would be a good idea." He paused a moment, a wry smile slowly appearing as he looked down for a few seconds before looking back up at the brunette. "Why don't you stop by Jorvaskr tomorrow?"

Aeiron blinked and tilted her head lightly to the side. "Jorvaskr?" she inquired. "Whatever for?"

"You've been in Whiterun for the past seven years and never once set foot through the front door. I think it's about time we change that."

He watched as the younger woman sighed in defeat, smiling lightly out of the humor of the whole situation. "Alright. Noon tomorrow. I'll be taking my leave now," she said as she took a few steps backwards and placed her hand over her heart, turning to look at the other general. "Head-Smasher."

Hjornskar returned the gesture, smiling lightly. "Stormblade."

She turned to look at the Jarl and repeated the motion. "Jarl Vignar."

Vignar nodded lightly. "Have a good day, Aeiron."

She beamed a smile at the two men before turning on her heel and marching out of the war room and down the stairs.


	3. Chapter 3

**Sweet, a long chapter! :D Sorry for any errors. Typed this in a hurry ^^;**

* * *

Lydia insisted on tagging along with Aeiron to Jorvaskr the following day, adding to the brunette's annoyance after she had been literally dragged out of bed by her Housecarl. The two bickered as they sat at the table for breakfast at ten that morning. Her Thane's combat skills might have been rusty, but her wit was as sharp as ever. The lethal combination of general's wit and skill with her battle axe made her a feared adversary, whether the dispute be civil or bloody.

The pair bitterly downed their meals and went out the door after Aeiron finished her breakfast and went back upstairs to down her armor. It was about eleven o'clock when they left the house and were greeted by a gentle breeze traveling down the streets of Whiterun. The pair went next door to War Maiden's to pick up more arrows. Adrianne Avenicci hammered away at the hot metal until she saw the pair and dropped the blade into the bath of water beside the forge before walking up to the and greeting them.

"Aeiron," the Imperial smiled, crossing her arms and looking up at the housecarl for a moment before looking back at the Thane. "So glad to see you're doing well."

The brunette sighed, shrugging and pursing her lips. "Well, what can I say?" She let her hands fall and gestured towards her legs. "I'm just glad I didn't take an arrow to the knee."

Adrianne chuckled lightly. "Good to see you're still burning with passion. So..." She uncrossed her arms slowly and put her hands on her hips with a small smirk growing at the corner of her mouth. "What can I sell you, friend?"

"The usual, Adrianna." The general nodded. She then pointed up at Lydia (her mother). "Steel armor repairs for Lydia, and all the steel arrows you have." The blacksmith nodded and walked over to the forge to hand the younger woman a batch of 40 steel arrows. Aeiron handed her the coin with a smile as she added the arrows to her quiver and then slung it over her shoulder.

* * *

She waited for almost an hour for Lydia's armor to get repaired leaning against one of the support columns and watching the forge fires burn; her fingers mindlessly playing with a septem coin. Adrianne was still hammering and reforging new steel to repair the armor for the Housecarl. Lydia looked up at the Thane as she sat with her legs crossed on the ground and then up at the sky. The sun was almost directly overhead. "My Thane," she spoke up.

Aeiron looked down at her as if a trance had been lifted. The coin in her hand stopped abruptly as her grip on it tightened and her arm tensed. The brunette turned to see the body guard smiling up at her from her place on the ground right next to her Thane. "Why don't you go on ahead of me? I'm probably going to be here for at least another hour and you promised the Jarl that you would be at Jorvaskr at noon."

The general blinked at her, muscles slowly slacking. A small smile that began spreading wider made its way onto her face as she nodded. Aeiron beamed at the older woman as she pushed herself off of the column and started running up the street towards the market stalls.

Aeiron, along with just about everyone else in the city could hear Heimskr preaching about Talos from about a mile away when she reached the market stalls by the well. It never failed to wake the city's inhabitants at six in the morning. On the weekends, eight, if they were lucky...She climbed up the steps and the Thane fell into the habit of greeting the Stormcloak City Guards with a smile on her face and pride swelling in her chest.

"It's a nice day," the general remarked as they climbed the final steps. Aeiron raised a hand to block out the blinding sunlight and she paused for a moment at the top of the stairs, letting another light breeze blow by her. The scent of the blooming flowers on the Gildergreen made her think of Blue-Eyed Grass that bloomed back home for a split second, thinking about how pleasantly the two flowers smelled.

It seemed that the next time she blinked, she was at the top of the stairs leading to Jorvaskr, now pulling the door open and walking into hearing a Nord man slur "Hey, a fight!"

Aeiron abrutply paused, holding the door open a second longer before she continued walking in and standing in front of the blazing fire.

"Aeiron!" She looked up, seeing Brill sitting on a bench by the brawl between the Dunmer and the Nord woman. His hand beckoned her to come closer and she walked over without hesitation, taking a seat opposite to the steward. "Glad you made it." The general eyed the fighters for a moment before looking back at the older man, jabbing a thumb at the pair.

"Does everyone around here hate each other's guts or is this just a civil dispute?" She raised an eyebrow to punctuate her statement. Brill sighed and crossed his arms as he leaned back into his chair.

"Words always lead to violence. I think you should know that, Aeiron." They both looked at the pair, the Dark Elf now getting in a few good hits. "They're just settling things the old way."

Aeiron nodded, smirking lightly. "I prefer my fists to words. I was taught that actions speak louder than words." The Dunmer landed a good punch right to the gut and then another one to the chin with an uppercut.

"Son of a-" The Nord woman was interrupted by another punch to the jaw.

The steward shook his head before hollering out "Five septems on Stonefist!"

Aeiron leaned back in her chair, crossing her hands and watched the fight for a few minutes. The tables have seemingly been turned now as the woman began making a comeback, dodging more and her punches becoming harder. Aeiron's eyes were glued on the fighters' movements, already seeing patterns in the way they moved before, during, and after a strike. Put a sword in their hands and their movements would not be much different.

As more curse words and cheers rang through the air, her attention was drawn to a man standing in wolf armor with his hands on his hips, scowling at them with his good eye. Her eyes scanned the room, seeing the Nord with blonde hair drunk and slurring out bets with a bottle of mead in his hand. A woman with red hair in Ancient Nordic Armor stood by the man with one eye, and by her was a taller than average Nord man with war paint over his eyes, wearing the same style armor as Lydia.

Aeiron got up, sighing lightly as the two brutes continued at it. She walked over at the table and picked up a bottle of mead, taking a quick sip before seeing the woman pummel the elf into the ground. Aeiron smirked lightly as she held the bottle in one hand, the other pushing herself upright against the table as she slouched with her legs crossed. The general sighed, looking around and waiting for Vignar to show up. Meanwhile, she could hear the whispers about her begin to arise. _Icing on the cake_, she mused.

The Dark Elf got up and began fighting back, cursing at the woman and calling her a "bitch". Both of the general's eyebrows went up, smirk spreading slightly across her crooked mouth.

The redhead approached her then. "I haven't seen you around here before."

The general sighed, putting down the mead bottle as the two other men approached and looked up at the woman with a smile. "I was waiting for Vignar, but I guess he isn't here yet." Aeiron held out her hand, blinking widely with her smile faltering before she let it show itself again. "I'm Aeiron."

She saw the three visibly stiffen up. The woman blinked at her. "As in Aeiron _Stormblade_?"

Aeiron nodded, eye twitching slightly. The words "_Oh, Fuck_," seemed to cross her mind at that moment. She could feel her heart rate begin to speed up as the woman scrutinized her in those painstaking awkward seconds. Finally, the woman smiled lightly at the brunette and shook her hand. "I'm Aela," she spoke, pulling her hand away and then pointing to the one-eyed man in the wolf armor. "This is Skjor."

Skjor smirked nodded, smirking lightly. Aela then pointed to the taller man. "And this is Farkas."

Aeiron blinked up at the tall man childishly. "You look like you give the best hugs."

Farkas laughed lightly at this, letting his head tilt back a bit. "I wasn't expecting to hear something like that." Aeiron giggled lightly, hand resting on her hip.

"So, the mighty _Dragonborn_ graces us with her presence, huh?" The brunette looked up, seeing the older man's skeptical smirk. Her expression clearly showed her annoyance through her narrow eyes and and raised brow.

"Your point?" Aeiron stared him in the eye, blindly picking up her bottle of mead and taking a sip of it before putting it back down onto the table. The two stared at each other before Skjor chuckled and clapped the smaller woman on the shoulder.

"I like you, kid."

The general smirked at the sentence. "Heh, and here I was thought you people would hate my guts."

The group's attention went back to the pair fighting, seeing the woman, whom people were calling "Njada" getting the upper hand once more. Aeiron shook her head, picking up the mead bottle and taking another sip. "They fight like little kids," the words left her mouth before she could catch herself in time to stop them.

Njada paused and looked up from the Dark Elf "Athis" who was bent over on the floor and putting up his arm in defense from the woman's onslaught of punches. "What was that?" Her glare searched the spectators and found Aeiron, blood boiling from the Stormcloak general's smug smirk. The Nord woman stomped over to the group and Aeiron gently pushed past the Companions that stood by her.

"I said you fight like a child, clear as day."

"You little!" Njada went for a punch to the brunette's head but Aeiron blocked her punch with her forearm, effectively making the woman freeze for a moment before she countered with a punch to the jaw and a kick to the gut. The Nord woman stumbled back and two other companions carried away Athis to the other side of the mead hall.

The hide helmet that Njada wore fell to the ground. She looked up, seeing the Stormcloak general putting her battle axe on the long table and cracking her knuckles before rolling her shoulders and putting her hands up, the side of her body facing the other woman. Njada growled before running up to her, ready to sling a punch at the brunette.

Aeiron ducked and went to the other side of her arm, grabbing her wrist with her left hand and landing her right elbow in the Companion's gut before backhanding her right to the nose. Once again, Njada stumbled away and the crowd came in closer than last time, the cheers louder and the bets higher.

Njada charged again, once again trying to slug Aeiron with a right hook, with the brunette effortlessly dodged by stepping to the side and kicking the woman right in the face. She followed with another kick, this time with her right foot and then a two-hand combo to the chest and then a headbutt.

Meanwhile, from the stairs that lead to the living quarters down below, Vignar walked up the flight of stairs, talking with two other warriors wearing Wolf armor as well. "I can assure you, Kodlak, she would be a great asset to the Companions. She's one of Ulfric's best soldiers and one of the best warriors I've ever see-"

"Twenty septems on the Stormcloak!"

There was a pause before Vignar sighed and shook his head. "Looks like she's here already." The three men walked up and pushed their way through the crowd that gathered around, seeing the two women at it. Kodlak blinked and raised his eyebrows as Aeiron continued to duck and weave and Njada continued throwing punches. The brunette blocked once more with her left forearm and countered with a kick to the chest and then raised her foot to land another kick to the face.

Njada stumbled back once more. She was becoming more sluggish, Aeiron noted. Her movements became slower, but her hits harder. "Kodlak," the Jarl sighed. "Meet Aeiron Stormblade of the Stormcloaks."

"What about me?" The brunette paused, looking towards Vignar, Kodlak, and the other man. The Companion she was sparring with landed a punch right to the dome and made the general stumble backwards. The crowd winced at the hit before the cheers started up once more. The older Companion looked at the younger man, bending his head slightly to the side.

"What do you think, Vilkas?"

The younger man gave Kodlak a side glance before looking back at the fight. "She's good. I've never seen this fighting style before." His sentence was punctuated with Aeiron grabbing Njada's arm and pulling her in for a knee kick her gut before landing a blow to her head with her palm and putting her body weight into it. Once again, Njada stumbled back, and by now, she was covered in bruises and cuts on her arms and was now sporting a black eye and bloody nose.

Kodlak nodded and looked back up at the brawl. "Neither have I. Maybe this newcomer can teach us a few things." Vilkas watched as he walked to the center of the arena and grabbed Njada's fist just as she was about to try to punch the general once more. "That's enough!"

Both women froze to look at the older man. Blinking several times, Aeiron lowered and unclenched her fists. "Ria, Torvar, carry Njada downstairs and get Tilma to treat her wounds."

One Imperial woman and the drunk Nord from before nodded before emerging from the crowd and wrapping her arms around their shoulders. Kodlak straightened up, eyeing the crowd as the three slowly made their way towards the staircase in back. "The rest of you," he continued. "Disperse. There is nothing left to see here." The people slowly walked away, some grumbling about losing bets and how good entertainment was spoiled. Farkas, Aela, Skjor, and Brill were the only ones who remained.

Aeiron swallowed and went to get her battle axe off of the table before rushing out the door. Right when she sheathed it, Kodlak's booming voice froze her in place. "Wait!"

It was at that moment that Lydia rushed through the door of Jorvaskr, panting slightly as she stood in the doorway. Aeiron slowly turned to face the Companion members, swallowing Housecarl didn't wait as she rushed down to her Thane's side. The general let her hand linger on the handle of her weapon as she eyed the group.

"That fight was impressive on your part," Kodlak spoke up again. "but Jorvaskr is not a place of which Companions hurt each other for pleasure."

The brunette nodded. "Apologies, Harbinger. But in my defence, she came at me first."

"It's true," Aela spoke up. Aeiron looked at the redhead for a moment, clearly bewildered.

Kodlak crossed his arms and looked at Skjor and Farkas. "Is this true?"

"Yes, Harbinger." Farkas answered.

Skjor nodded. "I saw the whole thing. Njada flew off the handle and tried to attack her."

"Hmm." The Harbinger nodded in deep thought. Vignar looked at the general and sighed.

"You can't go anywhere without stirring up trouble, can you?" the Jarl asked.

The brunette laughed nervously, letting her hand fall from the handle of her weapon and back down to her side.

"What is your name, Lass?"

The general blinked for a moment before beaming a smile at Kodlak. "Aeiron Stormblade."

Kodlak stared for a moment more before chuckling. The younger woman blinked at him questioningly. "You remind me of an old friend."

"Who, exactly?" Aeiron raised an eyebrow.

"Philip Leon-Croí. He and I used to be good friends. He had a daughter who looked a lot like you do when he came here seven years ago."

"I know." Aeiron sighed bitterly with her smile wavering. Vignar pursed his lips and looked away as Kodlak gave her a quizzical look. She looked away, sighing once more before looking back up at him. "He's my father."


	4. Chapter 4

**These chapters are becoming more fun to write during my boring Study Hall periods! :D Any feedback is greatly appreciated! Thank you! ^^**

* * *

"Your father was well known in these parts," Kodlak walked with down the steps down to the living quarters and down the long hallway. "He was a Companion himself for a few years before settling down with your mother, Theresa."

Aeiron smiled and nodded, lowering her head briefly before looking back at the older man. "Yeah, he chased her for a few years from what I had heard." The Harbinger chuckled as he opened a set of double doors once they reached the end of the hall. The old man sat down in the chair to the right of a small round table.

"Yes, that's true." He answered as he gestured a hand to the empty chair. Aeiron stared at him for a moment before slowly walking over to the chair. She unsheathed her battle axe and leaned it against the wall before leaning back in the chair with a sigh, hands grasping the arms of the chair tightly as she looked over at Kodlak. "He was among our highest ranks in The Circle."

The brunette nodded, folding her arms across her chest and sighing lightly. "My father and I left once my mother was taken by the Thalmor. She's most likely dead by now..." Aeiron looked up at the ceiling with a short pause before looking down at the floor. "Dad and I moved to Cyrodiil and lived there for a while. He was..." She looked up at Kodlak for a second before eyeing the wall at the end of the hall. "In one of the elite units when he fought in the Great War, and he got a job as a city guard when we moved."

Kodlak leaned back in his seat, eyeing the girl gently. "He used to work the craziest hours, and this was when he was in his late forties, early fifties." The brunette chuckled, clasping and unclasping her hands. "I could have lost him so many times, but he was so happy that he could function. He was a highly decorated soldier."

"Of that I am sure." The old man smiled wryly. There was a pause between them. The doors down the hallway opened and closed gently. Kodlak stared down the hallway and eyed the whelps and other members as they walked around.

"I'm still looking for him." She finally spoke up. He drew his attention back to the younger woman. After a moment, a heavy sigh left him.

"We all know you are. But he's reached a very old age where it would be most likely that he could no longer pick up a blade."

Aeiron chuckled and shook her head. "He taught me everything I know, Kodlak." She smirked at the old man before crossing one leg over her knee and letting go of the chair arms. "And for a man who will be seventy one this coming winter, he's a tough bastard to kill."

Kodlak eyed her for a few seconds, searching her face before shaking his head and chuckling dryly. "I suppose you're right on that account."

A knock came at the door. Both of them turned and looked up at the open doorway to see Vilkas standing there, knuckles grazing the wood trim. "Harbinger, a moment?"

The old man nodded and gave a smile at Aeiron. "Aeiron, Vignar said you would be a valuable asset to the Companions. The two younger warriors visibly stiffened.

"He did?"

Kodlak nodded.

"Master, you can't be serious-"

"I am nobody's master, Vilkas." The Harbinger turned to look at the younger man. "And last time I checked, there were empty beds for those who have a fire burning in their hearts."

Aeiron saw Vilkas scowl and glare at her. She tensed up, gulping slightly and hand unconsciously drifting closer to her weapon. "But Harbinger," Vilkas protested. "You've never seen her in combat besides in the brawl."

"No, but we shall find out how well she fairs. Take her out to the training yard to see if she lives up to the legend."

"Yes, Harbinger." Vilkas sighed and around, storming away. Aeiron sighed and sheathed her axe over her head and was about to walk out of the room.

"I apologize for Vilkas' behavior." Kodlak spoke up. The brunette paused and turned on her heel to face him. The Harbinger offered an encouraging smile. "He's the type that doesn't warm up to people right away."

Aeiron chuckled and shrugged her shoulders. "That explains a lot. If I didn't know any better, I would say that he was jealous of me for not having your undivided attention."

The older man merely sighed and shook his head. "I will be going up to the training yard myself to watch."

The general paused once more as she was about to leave again. Over her shoulder, Aeiron gave the Harbinger a surprised look. "Has Vignar really spoken so highly of me?"

Kodlak nodded. "I have to admit, I am a bit curious of how well your reputation holds myself." The man walked up to the younger woman and began walking with her down the corridor towards the stairs. And much to the general's annoyance, she already had a fanfare trailing in back of them, including a bloodied and recovering Njada Stonearm and Athis following them with some assistance. As if she wasn't nervous enough!

The doors to the training yard opened and she was greeted by a crowding group of Companions that was much bigger than she expected; more or less of what she felt to be half of Whiterun showed up for this little sparring match that was only arranged a few seconds ago unless... Aeiron scowled at the Jarl as she passed him on her way down the small stairs. Vignar merely smiled at her as she passed by.

Kodlak took a seat at a table by Vignar, Aela, Skjor, and Lydia. Farkas and Lydia stood right by the table on the opposite side of the outdoor patio. "I feel like you're trying to sell me a horse, Vignar." The Harbinger sighed as he sat down, picking up a tankard full of mead. The Jarl merely laughed with a grin.

"Don't tell me you hadn't had your eye on her for a while. You know she's an almost exact replica of Phil." The Gray-Mane took a sip of a bottle of Ale as Kodlak shook his head.

"I just hope she won't make his mistakes." Kodlak eyed the Stormcloak as she unsheathed her battle axe and stood in front of Vilkas, who had a banded iron shield and was armed with a one-handed sword.

"Just swing when you're ready," the Companion instructed. Aeiron frowned.

"Where's your greatsword?"

"I don't use it when evaluating whelps." She could hear his distaste for her in his voice, practically feel it. The brunette sighed and brought up her axe to rest the long handle across her shoulders.

"Well then," Aeiron blew out the air in her lungs and looked around in the crows as she mentally took attendance of who was there. Lydia smiled at her, which the brunette returned for a moment before turning to face Vilkas. "That shield won't do you much good." She nodded towards the shield in his left hand.

The Nord frowned at her. "Why not?"

Aeiron resisted the urge to laugh as she sighed once more, looking down at her feet before looking back up. "This axe has sliced cleanly though Elven, Steel, Falmer, and Orcish armors. I highly doubt that an iron shield will stop this thing." She couldn't help but let the scarred side of her lips twist up in a smirk.

The Companion straightened up and lowered his arms. "Alright then, what do you propose?"

"Marriage?" The general grinned. The audience laughed at the joke as Vilkas scowled and rolled his eyes.

"I was thinking more along the lines of the current situation." He raised an eyebrow at her and the brunette laughed lightly.

"Why don't we use wooden weapons so you don't split me in two and I don't slice your gut open?"

Vilkas sighed in annoyance but complied, setting the sword and shield down to the side as Aeiron leaned her battle axe against the stone wall. They both picked up the wooden forms of their respectable weapons from a nearby weapons rack and squared off. Vilkas smirked and got into his usual stance. "Whenever you're ready."

Vignar from the audience smirked widely and looked up at Kodlak, along with Aela and Skjor to see the studying look in his eyes. Aeiron twirled the handle of the wooden battle axe, bringing the weapon behind her in one swift motion before lunging at him and feigning to the side at the last second. Vilkas barely had time to dodge as she shot right past him, turning her body into her first swing aimed at his back. The Companion rolled out of the way just in time to bring his sword up to block a downwards strike aimed at his head.

Looking down, he saw the butt of her weapon coming straight at his face. He fell backwards as the end of the handle collided with his jaw. Vilkas stumbled backwards, seeing Aeiron standing above her as she held the wooden weapon on one hand. Her eyes were now an ice-blue as she stared down at him with a porcelain fixed face and parted lips that let heavy breaths flow through them. A howl ripped through his veins as he snarled and got up.

"Kodlak," Aela spoke up.

"I know," The Harbinger nodded as he watched the fight. "He's fighting it, though."

Vilkas let out a battle cry and charged at the general, who rolled to the side and swung the wooden axe around her to strike his back. Aeiron quickly stood and took a step forward as she brought the axe down once more. The general continued swinging repeatedly at him, all of which he blocked with his wooden greatsword.

A sweep to his knees caught the man off guard as he fell backwards and Aeiron swung down and stopping right at his neck. The Companion gritted his teeth tighter as he looked up at her. Aeiron stared at him for a moment, smirking as she slightly panted while holding her wooden weapon In place a few seconds more before straightening herself and pulling away. "Still think I'm just a whelp now?" chuckling lightly, Aeiron turned and brought her weapon up to rest the long handle on her shoulders before trotting off.

She froze when she heard a snarl in back of her. Turning to look over her shoulder, Aeiron froze entirely before turning to face him again as the panic began to set in. Even in the blinding sunlight, she could see that his eyes were now a bright Dwarven metal gold color.

"Kodlak-" Skjor was now the one to address the Harbinger this time. Kodlak glanced at the other man for a moment before nodding and standing up.

Vilkas snarled and growled lowly, bringing up the sword as he began charging at her. The general bent her knees and gritted her teeth. If she could take down Alduin the World-Eater, then she could take down a lycanthropy-crazed freak. Kodlak rushed to the foot of the steps, pushing past others standing in the way.

"Vilkas!"

As he neared her and let another battle cry out the word already began drawing a picture in her mind, the wind writing itself in the pitch black. The shouting got louder in her mind;the word repeating itself on a chant, almost effectively blocking out the warning shout from her Housecarl by the patio.

The Draugr Death Lord from Bleak Falls Barrow flashed before her mind, Mirmulnir's breath consumed her, and Aeiron opened her eyes right when Vilkas was about to swing down at her body.

"FUS!"

As expected, the Companion was sent flying backwards, finally stopped by the stone wall. Vilkas groaned loudly as he sunk to the floor, eyes now their usual ice-blue color as they blinked rapidly and the man shook his head. The next thing he knew, Farkas and Skjor were running over to him.

"Vilkas, are you alright?" The twin asked.

"What happened, Vilkas?" Skjor's question seemed to be the more pressing one at the moment. The Companion shook his head as he held his hand to his forehead.

"I...I don't know...My head hurts," Vilkas groaned as he let his head fall forwards and his body slouch. His vision began to blur, but he saw the brunette standing a ways from him, loosely holding the wooden battle axe in her left hand as she stared at the three of them with bewildered eyes. As much as the growling in his head told him to attack her, he couldn't. The only person that Vilkas could bring himself to hate was himself for losing control over the situation.

"Let's get him looked up at Farkas, who nodded back at the older man as they both eased him up off of the ground and began carrying him inside. Aeiron watched with disheartened eyes as he passed by and she felt her gut turn inside out. A hand rested firmly on her shoulder and she looked up to see Lydia giving her a reassuring smile, squeezing her shoulder gently.

"Lydia I had no choice. He was gonna-"

"It's alright, my Thane." The older woman stopped her and Aeiron blinked up at the Housecarl in surprise. Vignar walked over, stopping in front of the two women. The general immediately frowned at the older man.

"You set this up, didn't you?!" Aeiron raised an accusing finger at the Jarl, who immediately brought his hands up in defence. "You dirty skeever!"

"My Thane!" Lydia chided.

Vignar shook his head and chuckled. "It's alright, Lydia." he brought down his arms and relaxed. "Yes, I wanted you to join The Companions. I need you to have more hobbies besides sniping Imperial soldiers transporting captured soldiers and slicing their heads off to mount them on pikes outside the city for the hell of it!"

The general swallowed and shrunk down as the older man continued on. "Yes, it's true that you're a terrific warrior, just like your father. But you need to learn _control_!" Vignar took a deep breath and softened the look on his face. "I can't keep letting you run around on little and skipping meals to no sleep fighting dragons and enemy soldiers. You're destroying yourself, Aeiron, and it needs to stop."

Aeiron sighed, looking down at her feet before looking back up at the older man. She stared at him for a second, then another, and then another before a crooked smirk appeared at the scarred corner of her mouth. "Vignar, I already have one person nipping at my heals and telling me how to live my life. I think the Jarl of Whiterun would be too busy to be another to add to the list. Stop worrying over nothing!"

The Housecarl and Jarl stared after her as she skipped off before they could argue back and grab her battle axe that was leaning on the stone wall. As the pair watched her head inside. Vignar shook his head and looked over at Lydia. "I don't know how you put up with her." The woman merely heaved a breath and shrugged her shoulders in responce.

"I honestly don't know myself, my Jarl." She looked back at the man. The Jarl's gaze went back to the set of doors that Aeiron and the rest of the Companions went through.

"Phil was the same way; literally sleeping on the benches in the mead hall after walking in around four o'clock in the morning."

Lydia raised an eyebrow. "Do you know why?"

Vignar exhaled heavily. He looked back at the Housecarl. "His first marriage after he came back from the Great War only lasted four years. His wife cheated on him and was threatening him that he would never see their two daughters again if she didn't get a certain amount of gold per week. After Theresa, Aeiron's mother and his second wife, was taken by those damned High Elves, he fell into the same pattern as back then."

"So...you think it's stress?"

"And mourning, yes?" Vignar sighed. "She's been looking for the man for five years...two years after Helgen."

Lydia nodded and looked down at the ground. "I see…I never knew about her father. Just that she was someone she was extremely proud of. I saw her break both of a man's arms and one of his legs in a brawl when he insulted her father's name in front of her. I swear, she looked like she was about to rip the man's heart out…"

The Jarl chuckled bitterly as he began leading the Housecarl inside with him. "That sounds about right."

* * *

A feast was held in honor of the newest member of the guild later on that evening. Aeiron was swarmed by the whelps, whom she would be bunking with from here on end. Lydia promptly kicked her out of Breezehome and told her to "re-evaluate her decisions and habits" along for her to do some "soul searching".

The members who sat at the table listened attentively to her story of her first dragon encounter after Helgen, when she fought Mirmulnir at the ruined Western Watchtower. The group of violence-loving mercenaries was thoroughly intoxicated off of Nord Mead, with the exception of the Housecarl, Kodlak, Aeiron herself, and the Jarl and his steward.

"And so, as the dragon started using the guards as toothpicks," she paused. "Literally." The group chuckled lightly as she went on. "I jumped off of the top of the tower and sliced the dragon's head off with my axe!" Aeiron smiled innocently, jabbing a thumb over her shoulder.

Njada scoffed and rolled her eyes. "How on _Nirn_ would you have survived the fall?"

The general gave a cynical smirk and shrugged. "The mountain of corpses kind of helped.  
I also landed on top of the dragon's body before I hit the ground and twisted my ankle the wrong way." The brunette looked to the side in annoyance. "I was hobbling around like an old person on a crutch for six or seven weeks. Lydia didn't help either." Aeiron straightened up in her seat and nodded towards the Housecarl. "She was insisting on carrying me around the entire city on her back as if I had forgotten how to walk."

Low snickering could be heard as Lydia gasped lightly and glared at the Thane. "You were injured and you don't know when to give up!"

"Damn straight!" Aeiron raised the bottle of mead she was holding in the air and took a sip. Laughter reached her ears and warmed her insides more than the alcohol was ever capable of.

Lydia rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"You love me anyways, Lydia~!" the brunette sang out, wearing an impish grin that was spread across her face.

The Housecarl then glared at her. "That is something I am questioning."

Kodlak chuckled and stood up, hoisting his tankard in the air. "Fellow Companions!" his voice bellowed out. "To our newest member, Aeiron Stormblade!"

Njada begrudgingly raised her tankard with the rest of the Companions in the room, barely sober enough to walk and mind fuzzy from mead. Aeiron scanned the room once more, seeing Vignar and Brill stand up, along with most of the others.

"To Aeiron!" The large cry reached her ears and at that moment, she felt as welcomed as she did when the Stormcloak celebrated her victory over Alduin and the conquering over Solitude and all of her other campaigns that she went on under Ulfric's banner.

She felt at home.


	5. Chapter 5

**Forgive any errors and any OOC moments. I tried ^^; Let me know what you think? :)  
I also drew a picture of Aeiron on my dA! Link is on my profile!**

* * *

Aeiron walked back upstairs to the mead hall at around three in the morning since sleep wasn't coming to her anytime soon. She groaned as she stretched her arms over her head and felt her spine crack in a few places. The silence was comforting, to say the least. Everyone left around midnight and the Companions went to bed an hour later after another round of drinks in Farkas' room, where they made her tell another adventuring story, and so she did.

She told the story of the one time she went to the Reach and was ambushed by a Forsworn group with Lydia and how she was lucky that a troll came along. The Briar-Heart didn't die right away, she described to her annoyance as she recalled the fight. Aeiron wound up stabbing him with his own sword in the end after him dropping one and losing her battle axe in the brawl. Lydia nearly died that night and from then on, she traveled by herself for the most part.

Aela comforted her slightly and the Companions wound up trading tips with the brunette over their mead back and forth. Aeiron gave the best tips for taking out dragons, after fighting them for so long.

"If you have a shield, use it." She warned. "Sharpen the edges and toss in the air like a disc if you have a round and metal one. Shields are also good on blocking fire or frost breath."

She remembered Farkas blinking at her a few times and asking her why she doesn't carry one.

The general shrugged and said that she was shit-for-brains when it came to thinking about a good defence. The crowd laughed and finished their drinks before hitting the hay. Njada seemed to warm up to her a bit, thanking her for the tip. Aeiron apologized for the brawl earlier that day, in which Njada shrugged and left the room.

After thanking Farkas for showing her to the Whelps quarters and settling in one of the vacant beds on the far right side of the room, she stripped herself of her armor and downed one of the tunics that Lydia had brought over along with a few changes of clothing. Vignar and Kodlak agreed that she should stay at Jorvaskr for whatever reason they made up. She would have left had Lydia not informally kicked her out of Breezehome.

She chuckled dryly, taking another sip of a chocolate milk jug that her Housecarl had left her. The scene had been humorous to the other Companions. Aeiron couldn't say the same thing, though. She felt like she was in school all over again like she was back in Cyrodiil, where her father would drop her off and pick her up at the beginning and end of the day.

The door to the living quarters opened and Aeiron merely turned her head in the direction of the approaching footsteps. She saw Vilkas coming up the stairs slowly, a tired look on his face. "Good morning, Grumpy." She greeted quietly. The older man raised an eyebrow at her and took a seat across her, grabbing a bottle of mead along the way.

"Hmm." He groaned in reply, unscrewing the lid and taking a sip.

The brunette raised an eyebrow. "Not very talkative, are you?"

"Not this early in the morning like everyone else on a day schedule, no." He quietly replied as he opened his book and began reading.

Aeiron sighed and leaned back in her seat, looking up at the ceiling. "Why on earth would they use a ship for a ceiling in this place is completely beyond me." The question was directed more at herself then at the other Companion, but nonetheless, he picked his head up and quirked an eyebrow.

He sighed lightly before looking down at the book again. "It was made for the return of the Five Hundred Companions of Ysgramor." Aeiron blinked and looked down from the ceiling, eyes now fixed on Vilkas. "Jeek of the River, its captain and the twenty two man crew left the Circle of Captains and settled here which is now presently Whiterun hold. They then discovered the Skyforge," He leaned back in his seat, settling the book to the side and now making eye contact with the brunette. "and built Jorvaskr," Vilkas raised his hand and gestured around the room. "which Whiterun was slowly built around."

She nodded and looked away for a moment and processed the information. Vilkas kept studying her some more and was about to go back to his book when she asked, "Does anyone know how the Skyforge was built?"

He blinked at her for a moment, setting the book back down before looking back up at Aeiron. "No, unfortunately. It's considered a mystery around here."

"Hmm," the woman sighed lightly before a tired chuckle left her. "I'm surprised you're not a scholar."

"I would like to learn more, but Jorvaskr is my home, and Home I long to stay."

"How poetic," Aeiron smiled. Vilkas raised an eyebrow. "It makes me wonder why such an intelligent and attractive man such as yourself hasn't been claimed yet."

Vilkas smirked lightly at the comment and took another swig of mead. "Now why on Nirn would you wonder such a thing?"

Aeiron shrugged lightly, her mouth twitching nervously. "Curiosity gets the best of me a good portion of the time."

"I thought Curiosity killed the Khajiit."

"That maybe true, but Satisfaction brought it back."

She watched the man laugh dryly. "You have a quick wit and tongue. I take it that has gotten you into trouble?"

Aeiron toasted the Companion and laughed nervously. "Many a time." Vilkas laughed slightly louder this time as she took a quick sip and set the bottle back down on the table. "Lydia says I have the habit of leaping before I look."

"You're Housecarl seems to know you well. I'll take your word for it."

"Farkas and Aela also say that you sleep like a log and have a habit of coming across as aloof and yet here we are, drinking like friends. Should I believe them?" Aeiorn smirked slightly when she saw the glare come across his face. Vilkas then shook his head and picked up his bottle of mead. She chuckled and sighed, grinning widely. "You don't seem that bad," she added, looking back up at him.

Vilkas paused and raised an eyebrow. "How so?" he couldn't help but ask.

"Well," the brunette sighed. "You seem to open up if given the right approach. You don't like idle chit chat, that much I can tell." The man raised both of his eyebrows at her as he continued listening. "You're quiet and reserved, from what I can tell. Maybe you feel left out, maybe you look down on people who don't think like you do." Aeiron shrugged and looked at him. "Who can tell?"

"I don't know enough about you to say that you're kind-hearted, or that you're loving, but I can tell that you're loyal to a fault." she smiled at him and eyed the fire that was still burning by the main steps. Vilkas stared at her, blinking before speaking up.

"How do you know that?" he asked.

"You were protective over Kodlak. Very protective." she replied without looking away from the flames. "I used to act that way around my Dad all the time," Aeiron finally looked back at the Companion. His eyes widened when he saw the bitter smile on her face and that her eyes were becoming glassy. "I envy you for that, but at the same time, I can relate." the brunette chuckled sorely, taking another swig of her drink.

He looked away, lowering his head, unsure of what to say exactly. The wolf growled for him to hold her, comfort her for some reason. Vilkas gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. Losing control like earlier today was the last thing he wanted to do. "Vilkas?" Aeiron asked quietly.

Vilkas froze, his body loosening up as he looked up at her tired smile. "I'm sorry for earlier today. I didn't know what happened, or what possessed you to act the way you did,"

"Aeiron," he tried interjecting, but she continued.

"But I forgive you." she sighed. "Let's just put it in back of us and not look back at that now, hm?"

Vilkas stared at her, absolutely and completely bewildered. His eyes trailed after her as she got up and brought her bottle of chocolate milk with her. "Well," she paused, turning around to face him. "Goodnight, Vilkas."

He stared after her for a silent few seconds before he called after her, "Goodnight…" When the doors closed behind her, Vilkas sighed and looked up at the ceiling. He now saw why everyone liked her so much. She completely caught him off guard with how quiet she was from how loud and obnoxious she was earlier on. Her accent intrigued him as well. He knew she wasn't native to Skyrim, so where could she be from?

The Companion's lips twitched upwards as he picked up his bottle of mead and reopened his book. Maybe Aeiron Stormblade wasn't so bad after all.

* * *

At eleven o'clock in the morning, Aeiron was rudely awakened by Athis, Torvar, and Ria, who all wanted her to show them some moves on her battle axe. "Five more minutes," she groaned as she put the pillow over her head. Ria sighed, hands on her hips.

"Well, what do we do?" she looked up at the Nord and Dunmer.

"Want to call Farkas in here to drag her out of bed?" Athis looked over at Torvar, who grinned mischeviously.

"Sure…" the blond man ran out of the Whelps quarters faster than both of them could blink, the shouts of "FARKAS! GET OVER HERE!" echoing off of the walls.

The two whispering above her head were annoying her, but Aeiron was soon finding herself drifting off to dreamland once more, that was, until she felt the skins being ripped off of her body and two big hands grip her arm and haul her over someone's shoulder. She immediately began kicking and screaming.

"WHAT! FARKAS! WHAT ARE YOU- PUT ME DOWN! IT'S TOO EARLY!"

"Rise and shine, Stormblade. The Whelps want training."

"But isn't that what The Circle's for?"

Aeiron's frown deepened when she heard the bigger man underneath her chuckle as he carried her up the steps. "PUT ME DOWN! WHY CAN'T WE HAVE NICE THINGS IN LIFE? I SAY! PUT ME THE HELL DOWN!"

Meanwhile the racket passed by the dining table in the mead hall, Kodlak, Aela and Skjor all exchanged glances before the Harbinger quirked an eyebrow. "Farkas." The bigger man paused and Aeiron stopped squirming for a moment. Both blinked at the older man. "What's going on here?"

"The Whelps want Aeiron to train them using battle axes." Farkas gabbed a thumb in back of him to emphasize his point.

"Ah," the older man nodded with a smile. "Carry on, then."

"WHAT!" Aeiron's eyes bugged out as Farkas smirked and continued carrying her out to the training yard. "KODLAK. WHY ARE YOU LETTING THEM DO THIS TO ME?" She gave a few fake sobs with no tears coming out of her eyes as the door opened. "KODLA-" the door closed behind the two and was abruptly slammed in her face. Torvar, Ria, and Athis all went through the other set of doors with a begrudging Njada following behind them.

Vignar came out of his room with Brill following him. "What's going on?" The Jarl asked, eyeing the doors leading to the training yard and then Kodlak once more.

"Aeiron agreed to training the Whelps." The Harbinger smiled impishly. Vignar blinked a few times before throwing his head back and laughing loudly into the air. Brill smirked and eyed the door. Aela and Skjor both shared a look before getting up and heading for the training yard.

"Best to make sure that she doesn't kill anyone," Skjor spoke up when Kodlak eyed the pair questioningly.

"You know how annoying Whelps can be." the redhead added before they quickly left the mead hall. The Harbinger chuckled knowingly and took a sip of his mead and then looking back up at the Jarl.

"Shall we?"

The Gray-Mane shrugged. "Why not?" The trio then left the mead hall to spectate the training session or entertainment that was too good to pass up.

Farkas unceremoniously dropped the brunette and let her land flat on her butt with a groan while she scowled at him. A soft chuckle came from the patio area, where she looked next to see Vilkas watching with both his arms crossed and a smirk on his face. Aeiron sighed nervously as she got up.

"I'm still in my nightwear, you know." She didn't get a response as Ria handed her the general's signature battle axe.

"No one in The Companions or Circle fights quite like you do. We were hoping you would show us some basics with two handed weapons."

Aeiron stared at her battle axe for a moment, reconsidering the offer. "I'm also pretty good at archery and dual wielding, you know." The Whelps' faces brightened up considerably when they saw her smirk lightly at them. "I could also show you some new weapons. Swords and blades aren't everything, you know."

"Really?" Farkas raised an eyebrow at the brunette. Aeiron nodded and held up her battle axe and moved it so it rested on her shoulders.

By this time, Aela and Skjor were now coming out onto the patio area. The one eyed man looked over to see a smirking Vilkas and raised an eyebrow. "What's going on?"

Vilkas eyed the pair for a moment before looking back at the group that was moving away as Aeiron was stretching lightly. "Just watch."

Farkas unsheathed his greatsword and readied his stance. "Vilkas is smaller than I am. One swing is all I need to cut you in two, small one."

Aeiron returned his smirk and twirled her battle axe around her, tossing it in the air before pointing it at him with one arm. "If you can get a cut on me, that is." She raised her left hand and gripped the lower part of the axe's handle. Farkas came charging at her and her smirk widened into a crooked grin.


	6. Chapter 6

**So this chapter makes things escalate quickly...I apologize if things seem rushed. Things will be explained with more clarification in the next chapters. ^^**

* * *

Farkas was a lot different from his brother by not just his appearance and disposition. Every time that he came charging at Aeiron while raising his sword for another strike, she barely had enough time to roll or shift out of the way and try to strike his sides. Vilkas, by far, was a more calculated fighter. The other twin just kept going, and this was something that made her slightly nervous.

He could easily overpower her from up close if she tried to block a strike. She began feeling the adrenaline turning into panic as she dodged once more, rolling out past him and going back to a fighting stance. The air that left her lungs began to come out choppy and ragged. As Farkas was turning around to face her once more, Aeiron caught sight of the patio and saw Vikas, Skjor, and Kodlak's approving looks. And then there was Vilkas with his scrutinizing eyes…

When she heard the sword lightly tap Farkas' steel armor, her eyes went back to her opponent. Her feet pushed her forward as she came charging at him this time with a leap, shouting out into the air.

"I'm impressed." Kodlak nodded lightly. Vignar chuckled lightly at the comment.

"I thought you were impressed yesterday."

"Farkas is one of our most aggressive fighters, next to Njada and Vilkas is he's riled up enough." Skjor remarked, eyes still trained on the sparring match. "Vilkas doesn't even last ten minutes with him before both are panting and calling it a draw."

Vignar nodded and turned his eyes back to the match. "And how long have we been out here?"

"Half an hour, give or take." Kodlak glanced briefly at the Jarl.

The Gray-Mane raised his eyebrows. "That long? I thought it's only been fifteen minutes!"

Through uneven and harsh breathing, the Companion smirked at the brunette as she came at him, swinging the axe around her body and spinning as she brought the weapon around her and the blade collided with his sword once more. Farkas brought up his sword over his head and let out another battle cry. Aeiron looked up, the panic making her heart swell for a moment before her eyes locked in on his exposed chest and she acted before her mind caught up with her. Aeiron put all of her body weight behind her and tackled him to the ground.

The bigger man was startled, to say the least as he fell onto his back and his sword fell a few feet away from him. Farkas reached for it, but the blade of the brunette's axe caught his eye and he felt the familiar ice-cold feeling that metal had. Looking up, he saw Aeiron pinning one arm to the ground under her leg as she straddled his chest, blade barely touching his neck as she held the handle of her axe in both hands. The glare from the sun shined up at her face from her axe and showed her ice-blue eyes piercing his. He stared for a moment, both heavily breathing as her eyes changed back to their usual grayish blue hues.

Aeiron smirked and drew another heavy breath before they both looked up at the patio when hearing the round of applause coming their way. She got off of him and used her weapon as a support as she extended a hand towards Farkas, who was still staring up at her with a goofy look and heavy breathing. "Need a hand?"

He blinked a few times before smiling weakly and taking her hand. Aeiron gritted her teeth as her arm was nearly ripped from its socket and he nonchalantly stood up, grinning at her lightly. "Thanks."

She glanced up from her arm briefly to look at him and back down at her arm as it twitched and pulsed and she mentally wanted to cry. "Welcome," she replied hoarsly before walking over to the patio, holding her axe in her other hand and plopping down at one of the tables and snatching a loaf of freshly baked bread from Torvar who was sitting next to her.

"Hey!" the blond Nord glared at her darkly while Aeiron merely smirked at him teasingly and raised her eyebrows before she bit into it.

"Just a minute."

She paused as she slung the battle axe over her shoulder, turning to see Vilkas looking at her with a smug smirk as he stood up, a tankard of ale in his hand. Blinking a few times, she turned to face him, eyeing him strangely as he approached her. When he was right in front of her, he stopped, looking down at her. "I want a rematch." he simply stated.

Whispers among the Whelps began building up and the other members of The Circle began exchanging looks silently. Kodlak stared at the two, raising an eyebrow. Aeiron's jaw nerely dropped as she dryly swallowed. "W-What?"

Vilkas unsheathed his sword to prove his point and waltzed over to the training yard and turned to face her, nodding to the opposite side. Aeiron frowned and blinked before laughing lightly and turning around. "Here, Torvar!" she handed him the bitten bread and cruised over to where she faced off Farkas before hand. Said brother watched her walk past him and was about to interject when her knuckles lightly tapped against his chest plate. "Don't worry, Farkas. I'll be fine."

Skjor looked over at Kodlak and tensed his shoulders under his wolf armor. "Harbinger."

The older man sighed expectantly and looked back up at the two. "Let them, Skjor. The two are so alike it's pointless to argue with the two."

"In likes of hotheadedness?" Aela chimed in and the two men chuckled.

"Sounds about right," Vignar commented, stroking his beard thoughtfully.

Aeiron squared off against him, letting the handle of her axe roll over her hand before she raised it up and had it flat against her arm, knees bent and legs some distance apart.

Vilkas raised his sword over his head and gave her a wolfish smirk. "Whenever you're ready, _Aeiron_."

The brunette blinked at him and scowled. "Douche."

He laughed loudly at the insult and began charging at her. She was nearly caught off guard but managed to jump out of the way just in time, swinging the blade upwards with one hand as she jumped back before gripping the handle with two hands. Time paused for a moment as Vilkas looked up, eyes widening as he saw the axe blade coming back down. Steel clashed against Titanium as the axe came down on him and sparks flew.

The two had their eyes locked for a moment before Aeiron landed on her feet and turned around, bringing the axe around her as she bent down on one knee. Vilkas stumbled backwards as the brunette raised her axe in the air. He raised his sword to block her and pushed forward. She stumbled a step or two back, arms falling to her sides as he gave a battle cry and charged at her with his blade in the air. "You're going DOWN!"

Aeiron scoffed with a smug smirk as she ducked and weaved through his swings. "Keep dreaming, Grumpy One." After he took another swing at her, Aeiron jumped backwards, flipping through the air and landing roughly on her feet as she skidded a good few feet away from Vilkas.

Skjor and Kodlak snickered at the comment while both Aela merely rolled her eyes with her lips tugged up ever so slightly. Vignar looked at the trio and then to Farkas, whose voice was now booming with laughter. "I never thought of calling him that before!"

He then began charging at her once more. The brunette brought up her axe and gritted her teeth, lunging forward as well. The clash of metal could be heard as Aeiron swiftly flew past him while swinging the axe up after the blade barely grazed the stone ground. She roughly skidded to a stop once more as she turned to face him.

Her eyes took in the way his forehead was glazed in sweat and how heavily his breathing had become. Vilkas' stance did not waver, however. He stood strong against her. Fluttering down in front of her were a few of her chocolate brown locks. After seeing them, she looked at him and frowned teasingly. Vilkas returned the gesture with giving her a teasing look, as if he was taking her down a notch little by little.

She shook her head and giving him a disgusted look, sassing him back slightly before she jumped back at him. Vilkas raised his sword and blocked the attack, pushing her off of himself before letting his arm fall to his side and raising his blade back into the air. Aeiron kept swinging at him now, making it _his_ turn to be the one blocking and dodging her as she swung at his sides and above her head.

Vilkas was dodging in time, her swings barely missing him, but they were nonetheless. He then brought up his greatsword and swung down at her. Aeiron felt the adrenaline spike up once more and she spun to the side, aiming for his back with her axe.

"It appears that Vilkas has learned Aeiron's fighting patterns," Kodlak turned his head to the Jarl, who merely nodded.

The dance then ended when Aeiron landed a kick right to Vilkas' jaw and he fell right on his back, the sword falling out of his hands. When he looked up, she was smirking darkly like he had been a few seconds ago.

Aeiron's face softened as her eyes then wandered upward to the two people behind Vilkas who were walking around the side of Jorvaskr and approaching the patio. The man standing next to Lydia paused and stood still once he rounded the bend, smirking widely with blue sparkling eyes as he opened his arms. Vilkas turned to see the pair, recognizing the housecarl but not the Stormcloak soldier. He whirled around when he heard metal clank as the battle axe fell to the ground in front of him. Vilkas saw a Stormcloak General and the fabled "Dovahkiin" with a horrible bedhead who had slain countless dragons and defeated platoons of Imperial soldiers drop her jaw almost comically. A childish look appeared on her face and she began to jump around while inhuman noises left her mouth.

"RALOF!" The brunette almost screamed as she began running towards the Nord man, who was now laughing loudly as she hugged him and tackled him. Ralof landed and gave a mixture of groaning and laughing as the younger woman continued to hold him tightly. "H-Hi, Aeiron…"

And then jumped off of him and pulled the man up faster than he wanted to go and hopped in place a few times before hugging him again. "I missed you, deartháir!" Ralof stumbled a few feet back, but tightly hugged her back this time. Lydia sighed and shook her head.

"Really now? I had no idea," the blond replied. Aeiron looked up at him and frowned, punching him lightly in the arm. He chuckled, before looking up at the bemused crowd sitting at Jorvaskr's patio and to Vilkas, who was just staring with shock and an unexplainable annoyance. The wolf was growling at him to pull Aeiron away from the stranger, and he was about to when she ran back for her axe and picked it up.

"Looks like we'll be continuing our match on another day, Vilkas." She beamed at him and then trotted up the stairs, leaving him sitting on the ground gawking after her. Aeiron passed by the other Companions, the words "excuse me" and such leaving in a loud and gleeful voice until she ran back inside.

Farkas then walked over to his brother and crouched down beside him. "Wow, Brother. You have such a way with women." Vilkas glared at his older brother and cursed under his breath as he stood up and picked up his sword. As he sheathed it, he turned to see his brother give him a cheeky smile. "She brushed you off as if you were nothing. Am I sensing a little bit of jealousy in you, Vilkas?" Farkas raised his eyebrows a few times and earned himself a brusing punch on his arm as Vilkas stormed over by the patio and stole the loaf of bread that Torvar had in his hands before taking a large bite out of it.

The blond Nord threw his hands up in the air. "Really…?"

* * *

A few minutes after the three hour lunch lunch meal had come around; Aeiron came up from the living quarters in her usual apparel and had kempt hair now, along with a cleaned face. The Helgen story had been the main focus for the meal, and while everyone was listening intently, the scowling Companion glared at the Stormcloak captain and the way he would occasionally brush his hand with hers or when the two smiled at each other.

Vilkas' nose instantly picked up some exotic fragrance on her. _Perfume…are you kidding me?_ His frown deepened and was his usual self for mostly everyone as he watched the general meet up with the captain and threw an arm around his shoulder as the pair disappeared around the side of Jorvaskr. Farkas, who was standing next to him, raised an eyebrow at his brother. "You know, if you keep that look on your face, it'll stay like that?" The smarter of the two merely rolled his eyes and retreated down into his room and buried himself in one of his books.

Ralof chuckled and wrapped an arm around her waist as the continued walking down the steps. "So, you're a member of The Companions now? I have to say that this was bound to happen eventually." Aeiron grinned and looked down at their feet briefly before looking back up at the captain.

"Vignar put me up to it," she replied with a mild shrug. They both sat down at a bench in front of the Gildergreen.

"Oh, he did now, did he?" Ralof sighed as he leaned back, breathing in the pleasantly fragranced air from the tree's blossoming flowers. Aeiron nodded and exhaled deeply.

"So," she sighed, looking at the older man. "What brings you to Whiterun?"

"Ahh," his clasped hands waved its fingers in the air as he looked over at the nearby Talos statue and then back at the brunette. "I wanted to see how you were doing." Ralof smiled at her as he continued. "I had no doubt that Alduin would die by your hand, but I heard you came back in pretty rough shape a month ago so I decided to drop by."

Aerion playfully glared at him and lightly shoved him with her elbow. "You had a month to do that." A light laughter left her as she shook her head at him. "What took you so long?"

At the question, Ralof pursed his lips and he tensed up, sighing deeply as gnawed lightly at his lip. The captain leaned closer to Aeiron and dropped his voice down to almost a whisper. "It's the Thalmor." She tensed when she felt the words against her skin. Her blood began boiling as she gave him an incredulous look. Ralof nodded to confirm what he just said. "They've been running patrols through Riverwood and around Whiterun ever since a month ago, almost as if they were waiting for you to come through the city gates."

Aeiron's face contorted to one of disgust as she looked down at the ground, and then back up at the captain. "I could barely get here without them spotting me."

"What about the guards outside the city and in Riverwood?"

"They keep coming. After we take out one patrol another one comes within a matter of days." Ralof sighed bitterly. "The truth is that we were crippled a bit when you were recovering. Most of the Stormcloaks are too afraid to fully face them. We didn't have you to boost our morale."

Aeiron licked the inside of her mouth by her lower set teeth and nodded lightly. "I see…" The brunette froze, and then smirked, clapping the older man on the shoulder before her smirk widened and she looked up at him. Ralof's lips twitched upwards when he saw the old fire back in her eyes. "Why don't we take care of them ourselves, Captain?"

The man's smirk spread across his face shortly after the words left his mouth and he nodded. "I would be honored, Stormblade, but they'll be more of them the minute we strike back." Aeiron then stood up and looked back at a now slightly confused captain. "We have to tell the Jarl to step up he defenses, then. Something's gotta be done, and once it will be, we'll have a war with the Thalmor on our hands." To emphasize her point, she punched her palm with her other hand, clutching her hands and nodding towards Dragonsreach with a slight smirk.

Ralof stood up and nodded. "You're right." He walked over to her and stood by her, looking up at the ancient castle before looking down at the younger woman. "I think it's time to officially have you re-instated." Aeiron smiled at him and lightly shoved him before beginning to walk ahead of him. He caught up with a few brisk steps and they climbed up the large amount of stares side by side. The sun was going down in the now golden and pink sky behind the city walls.

The two greeted the guards outside the large doors and entered Dragonsreach. When the doors closed behind them, Brill and Vignar looked up to see the pair walking up the steps towards them. The steward straightened up from his position of whispering into the Jarl's ear and Vignar rose from his seat. "Stormblade."

The tone in his voice was different from three hours ago. It was cold and unnerving for Aeiron, who was mostly used to the almost complete opposite. Chills went up her spine as she approached the fire. Wordlessly, he began walking towards the steps leading to the war room with Brill following close behind. Ralof and Aeiron shared a glance before following the Jarl and his steward.

As they neared the top of the stairs, Hjornskar was there as usual. He looked at Aeiron and gave her his usual greeting, of which she merely nodded in reply. The taller man then sighed and handed her a bloodied note. She opened it, reading it and widening her eyes. "No…"

"Afraid so," Vignar finally spoke, crossing his arms.

"When was this?"

"Two days ago."

"How many troops were captured?"

"Twelve. Eight men and four women." Aeiron looked up at the Jarl with an incredulous look, about to speak.

"It gets better." She looked at Brill who sighed regretfully. He then turned to look at the other Stormcloak officer. "Hjornskar."

Said man nodded and bent down behind the table and picked up a box. As he placed it on the table, Ralof looked away from sudden nausea and the brunette merely dropped the letter and gritted her teeth tightly. Her eyes were now an ice blue.

Inside the box was a decapitated head of a Stormcloak Soldier.


	7. Chapter 7

**So far so good with the updates! ^^ Let me know what you guys thought? (I apologize for the later delay. Fanfiction wouldn't let me upload the document for the chapter properly so I had to wait =_=; )**

* * *

"Has Ulfric been informed?" Aeiron was finally able to speak up after a long silence between the five of them. Her eyes remained glued to the disembodied head, taking in the way the blood had soaked into the royal blue fabric, the way the neck bone was cleanly cut, and the way the tissue had already begun to shrivel up around some still moist flesh.

Hjornskar nodded and glanced away from the box to look up at the commanding officer. He pursed his lips and wet them with a mostly dry tongue from a dry mouth. "He has given orders to begin rallying up the troops and strengthen the defenses. He also said not to inform you until we absolutely had to, or until you recovered."

The brunette scowled and her voice thundered, "_WHY?!_" the entire palace had gone still as her voice echoed off of the walls. Goosebumps were forming on her skin as a cold night's air began slipping in through cracks and nooks into the old castle. Brill leaned back against the table and crossed his arms, frowning somewhat.

"It was about two weeks after you came back from Sovngarde, and you were still in bad shape. The last thing we needed was one of our strongest fighters tearing a stitch or reopening something and causing more of a setback." He chided her, almost as if she should have already known the answer. Her skin began to feel the coolness of the lowering temperature, but her veins carried boiling blood throughout her body. Everything in sight began turning a shade of red.

She opened her mouth to protest. Nothing would come out, her throat locking up and pushing down the words she wanted to say. Aeiron gritted her teeth and slammed her fist onto the war table. The breath seemed to leave the gaps between her teeth in seething gasps for air as her knuckles turned white under her bear claw gauntlets.

"Stormblade," Ralof's voice was quiet as a firm hand rested on her shoulder and gripped her tightly. She froze, her mind obtaining clarity for a brief moment. Aeiron slowly turned to look up at the captain, seeing his weak smile that was faltering on his lips. She searched his face and then looked away when her eyes began to sting. The wooden table began blurring, but Aeiron forced herself not to appear weak as she gritted her teeth and swallowed the lump in her throat.

"What else has happened that I was kept out of the loop for?" The general asked in a quiet voice, each consonant dripping with venom and being strongly pronounced. Vignar sighed and cleared his voice.

"Ulfric is waiting for you to go see him personally." He replied. Aeiron picked up her head and looked at the Jarl, blinking her eyes widely at the old man. "He wants you at the front lines now and leading the first few attacks, starting with Riverwood." Vignar then pointed down at the map a location by Lake Klinath and then looked back up at the brunette. "We've sent scouts out ahead to get locations to save us time for when you were able to fight again."

"That's why you had me spar with the Companions…" the words left her mouth as the realization clicked in her mind. Vignar nodded and tapped his finger on the rough parchment.

"We've gotten enough reports from them to confirm that they have a camp here. Some of the Thalmor have been bunking with the Imperials at their camps as well."

Aeiron brought her fist to her mouth, scanning over the area of Whiterun for a moment before pointing her index finger at a location a little ways from Rorikstead. "The Imperials have a camp here. I've paid them a visit a few times." she spoke the last sentence with a smirk forming at the corner of her mouth. "New soldiers are usually stationed there every few months."

"So, if I were to send you to these two camps with a squadron of, say...twenty soldiers; would you be able to clear out the camps in a time period of over three days?" Vignar asked her while raising an eyebrow. His lips curled up in a knowing smile when he saw Aeiron move back and give him the customary salute among the Stormcloak soldiers.

"Consider it done." She turned and looked at Ralof, motioning for him to follow her. "We'll pick up the troops at the camp by the gates before heading out. Give my regards to Kodlak and the rest of the Companions!" The brunette called over her shoulder as she walked away briskly with a trailing captain eagerly following her.

As the two began walking down the steps, the smile faded from the woman's face as she looked over at the other soldier and began running over the plans with him. "Alright, we're going in with a stealth approach. Thalmor mages use lightning spells to drain stamina and health."

Ralof nodded at her and pointed to the bow he was carrying over his back. "I've been practicing while you were resting up. Let's see who's the better shot now, hmm?"

The general laughed as she once again shoved him lightly before looking at the long bow. "You're still using that long bow?"

Ralof nodded and gave her a confused look. "Why do you ask?"

She wrapped an arm around his shoulders and sighed. "I know I missed your birthday a few months ago, but I still have your present at my house."

The older man raised an eyebrow with a widening grin. "Do you now?" She nodded, patting the man on the back.

"I made it myself! You should be grateful! Finding Titanium these days is almost impossible in Skyrim!"Aeiron chided him lightly, stumbling somewhat due to the height difference when they began descending the stairs outside Dragonsreach into the wind district.

Ralof laughed loudly as he helped Aeiron keep her balance by holding her waist. She looked up at him with a nervous smile, one he grinned brightly at before turning back at the street before them as they passed by the Gildergreen.

* * *

Lydia could here her Thane and Ralof laughing boisterously before they even reached the house from her bedroom. The woman sighed as she laid in her bed, being rudely awakened by the obnoxious laughter from the pair. The door to Breezehome opened with a _SLAM!_ and from in her room, she could hear the pair stumble and the general's laughter growing louder.

Aeiron took a few steps away from him and turned to face him."It's right in here, but you have to close your eyes~." She pointed to the small cabinet with a teasing smile. Ralof faked an annoyed expression and raised his eyebrows.

"Really? Aren't we too old to be acting like children?"

"Being young at heart is worth more than all the treasures in Sovngarde, you know." She smiled wider and then crossed her arms impatiently. "Now. Close your eyes."

The man rolled his eye but complied. He heard her open the cabin door and the echo of the wood slamming against itself as she dug through the furniture piece. Ralof chuckled when he heard her cursing under her breath and had to stifle another one when he heard the woman hiss at him for "mocking her pain", as she would call it.

The cabinet door then closed and he heard her say, "Alright, you can open your eyes now!" Ralof followed the orders and slowly opened his eyes, seeing the younger woman beam brightly at him with a what at first looked like a Nordic bow. His eyes widened when he first saw the weapon, immediately wanting to hold it. "Happy Belated Birthday, Ralof."

She handed it to him gently, placing it in his larger hands delicately enough as if it might break. The bow looked like a Nordic one, one that the Skaal would make on Solstheim, but the carvings, he noted, were different. "The carvings," he began speaking.

"They're Celtic." Aeiron finished for him, smiling lightly. "The bow has an enchantment that lets it have up to 50% percent more damage on all enemies. And," she added quickly. "A faster loading rate than most." She reached behind her and Ralof widened his eyes more if possible when she handed him a quiver full of matching arrows. "I can make more if you need any. Steel arrows work well with the bow as well-"

Ralof laughed and shouldered the bow before pulling her into a hug that threatened to crack the woman's ribs. "Thanks. I'll be sure to test it out in the near future." He felt her chest rumble with laughter as she hugged him back lightly before pulling away.

"I was hoping to hear that." The general then turned to the staircase and cupped her hands around her mouth. "LYDIA! I'M OFFICIALLY DEPLOYED AGAIN! TELL THE COMPANIONS I'LL BE BACK IN A WEEK!"

Lydia's response was a groaned out "Yes, my Thane." Smirking, Aeiron turned back to the captain and nodded to the door.

"Let's get going." The pair then turned and left the small house.

* * *

It was around five in the morning when the unit of twenty two Stormcloaks first reached the Thalmor camp in Riverwood and surrounded it from all sides, five troops a corner. Another patrol had been conveniently been passing through the small town and making its rounds when the three Elven soldiers were disposed of and their bodies dumped in the river as they crept along. A large center fire was burning ablaze, and from their position in the thicket of trees about 20 yards away, Aeiron vaguely felt the warmth of the flames.

She looked to Ralof, who already had an arrow drawn, aiming at a patroling guard thirty feet away. The general put her hand up and lowered the man's bow. The captain looked at her strangely for a second until he recognized the look on her face, one of pure evil as she wore that impish smirk and her eyes turned an ice blue. Lightly, she tosses the grenade in her hand and lets it fall perfectly into the palm of her hand, then flicking off the safety with her thumb.

She sends it hurtling towards the camp with a low grunt. When it impacted the ground, it rolled a little, right by a guard's foot that was standing by the fire. They looked down and their eyes widened a second later. Right when the Elf's mouth opens, the grenade went off. Aeiron was the first to unsheathe her weapon and hop over the log that was hiding her group and dive head first into the infested camp. Ralof smirks and fires the arrow he'd been itching to release at a soldier charging forward.

It all comes down to movement as the soldiers take on the Elves. Aeiron swings the axe around her and slices one wizard down when they try using a lightning spell on her. Another adorning the gilded armor comes charging at her with their sword drawn and high in the air. The axe moves instinctively to block the attack before the general brings her foot up to kick the enemy soldier in the jaw and spins her body around with the axe following. The Titanium metal servers flesh and bone as a head falls to the ground and rolls away.

Arrows fly around and zip right past her, some whizzing by Aeiron's head as she carries out her dance to the drums pounding in her head. It's the rhythm that she goes by, a fast and steady beat that keeps her blood pumping. It seeps into her mouth and the taste of copper lingers on her tongue.

_"Ní hé seo an méid a bhí mé..." _

Another Thalmor tries to cut her down. She dodges, shifts to the side while letting her back face their side. The axe swings up in her right arm and the blade cuts cleanly through the armor and the flesh below it. The general kicks the corpse off of her weapon and immediately dodges once more as lightning passes her by. The hairs of the exposed skin of her thigh stand up. She looks down, then up again. In the blink of an eye, the wizard immediately begins to fall down with his leg being cut off from right underneath him. The axe is over her head and then comes down.

"_Mé riamh ag iarraidh a throid amháin..."_

Battle is always a blur of movement and action; Kill of be killed. No one rests except the dead. The movements come to her, she doesn't call on them. Aeiron never had to. She just feels her way through and navigates the mazes of bloodied corpses and saturated earth beneath her feet. And slowly, life comes back into motion and everything speeds up once more.

"They're all dead over here!" one troop calls out. Aeiron turns her head and a smile crawls onto her face as she sighs in content.

"Good work, men." The axe is sheathed slowly as it returns to the home that is always on her back.

Ralof approaches her, whistles at her handy work before slinging the bow over his shoulder. "You sure know how to make an entrance, Lass."

Wearily, she sighs and looks down at the corpses. "I try to please," she speaks, with her voice turning into a whisper at the end of the phrase. Aeiron then looks up and begins walking, stepping on corpses and severed limbs along the way as she heads towards the main tent of the encampment.

Scattered parchment and a dim candle with a recently inked quill caught the general's eye as she made her way to the table in the middle of the tent. Ralof went and scavenged through the chests.

"Nothing in here that's worth wile," the captain states as he slams the trunk shut and stands up with a grunt. Ralof's eyes turn to the brunette that was leaning over the maps and the papers. He makes his way over to her. "You find anything?" His question receives no immediate response, but that's something he's grown accustomed to as he stands behind her and looks over her shoulder at what his superior is studying.

He then notices her body visibly stiffen, as if she had been poisoned by a frostbite spider. "Ralof…" the man picks up the stiffness of his name as it falls from her lips, and he knows right away it can't be good.

It's foolish; she'll tell him anyway, but he can't help but to ask. "…What is it?"

Aeiron slowly leans back, holding up a thin and weathered piece of parchment, the ink faded and smudged. He leans over her and looks. The words come screaming across to him from the paper. Ralof looks at her and sees the stressed look that the general is wearing as she looks back at the other pieces of paper. He looks at the paper again and begins reading aloud to himself.

"So far, no sightings of the Dragonborn. It is believed that she is held up in Whiterun and is currently recovering from her latest endeavor. Extracting her there is futile; the city will throw themselves in the way before we get to her…"

The older man scoffs and looks back at her. "Looks like you have quite the fan club." Aeiron turns to him and straightens up. A few bones in her back crack quite loudly.

"You can say that again." The general sighs and straightens up, looking down at the clutter once more. "This doesn't make sense."

"What doesn't?"

She sighed heavily once more and gestured to the cluttered table top. "…This! There's nothing here. As if they were expecting us…"

"General!"

The pair both turned their heads to see one of the other soldiers running towards them with a piece of parchment in their hand. The Stormcloak pauses in front of them and catches his breath before handing Aeiron the piece of paper. "I found this on one of the Thalmor Wizards. It looks like something you need to see."

Aeiron took the paper without hesitation and opened it, eyes sifting through the contents. The other two both saw her stiffen once more. "Alright, thank you, Soldier…"

He nodded and then walked away. The general then crumpled up the note and threw it away. Ralof blinked at her a few times, apparently confused. "What is it?"

She turned to look at him and scoffed before blowing the air out of her lungs. "The Thalmor have recently deployed more troops at the camps and embassy. Now there's more of them!"

"Well, I think if we keep up what happened tonight, I think Skyrim will be in good shape." Ralof smirked at her and gave a small chuckle.

The general turned to look at him, the anger leaving her face before the mild frustration once more set in. Another heavy breath left her as she drummed her fingers on the table. "The Empire also sent in new troops. A man going by 'General Taitus' will be leading them this time around."

"I bet Ulfric knows already."

"Probably." She looked up and saw the sun rising over the distant horizon. "Come on," she sighed, exiting the tent. "We still have the Imperials to deal with."

Ralof scoffed. "Fun sort they are." At the comment, Aeiron laughed and threw her head back.

"I wonder," she turned to face him, a smirk on her lips while her hands were on her waist. "Who will have the bigger tally this time around?"

As she turned to walk away, Ralof raised an eyebrow and caught up with her after a few quick steps, now walking side by side with her. The Stormcloaks then rested up for a few hours before heading out.

Zero casualties.

Two wounded.

So far so good.


	8. Chapter 8

**Well, finally, back to the COmpanions! :D Let me know what you guys thought? ^^**

* * *

The Stormcloak brigade traveled along the main road for about two or three hours, the sun gradually rising higher in the sky above them. It was around noon when they deviated and began crossing the plains to the side of the giant city, sneaking past the giant camp and swiftly taking down any sabre cats that were attacking them.

The two wounded soldiers had been patched up and were back in fighting shape in a brief amount of time. They eagerly followed Stormbade as she led the way, telling one group to watch the back while they crossed over the hilly terrain. Short and light conversation came up every once in a while when one soldier made a witty remark or such.

One o'clock came around and the Imperial camp was beginning to show itself on the horizon, a small fire burning in the middle and a blacksmith hammered away on an anvil while nearby guards patrolled the immediate area. The guards were more spread out, being as far away as fifty yards from home base. Aeiron quickly ruled out the use of another grenade to rile them up.

She looked to her second in command, nodding to him and then pointing at several soldiers and pointing to the far off right. The five nodded and began to quickly make their way to one side of the area with little to no noise being given off. Aeiron then counted another five and sent them to the left. Looking at Ralof, she paused, an idea appearing before she resumed her counting. He was grouped in the next set of five and the general made a u-turn gesture with her hand.

The captain nodded and turned to his small unit, studying them for a moment before he began creeping along the right. Aeiron was left with five Stormcloaks now, one woman and four men. "Alright guys," she sighed, unsheathing the dagger that she kept at her thigh and crouched down. "I'll be taking out the patrolling guards." She crept a step forward before turning around to look at them once more. "Hide behind the rocks and wait for my signal to come out and start charging towards the camp." Raising a finger, she pointed at one of the male soldiers. "Thoren, you're in charge for now."

He blinked at her, but nodded at her. "Aye, General."

Aeiron smirked, winking at them before continuing on. She began rolling out over the flat parts and hud behind another pile of rocks when one Imperial soldier began heading her way. A word aligned itself in the dark in her mind. Bright letters in the dov language burned brightly in the darkness. "Las," the word left her mind and traveled out through her mouth. Darkness, then the constant sunlight came back. The red glowed brightly. She saw three clusters surrounding the camp and a few separate specters standing alone. One of them paused right by the rock pile that Aeiron was hiding behind and then turned around.

A smirk appeared on her lips as she watched the red light in front of her begin to walk away and then vanish. She crept out from behind the rocks and quietly moved in closer on the prey with silent movements. When she was a foot away, the general popped up and pulled the enemy soldier down to the ground with her. The dagger embedded itself in the man's throat as he squirmed and then went limp and pliable. Aeiron pulled out the knife before carrying on.

There were about four more patrollers in the area by the camp, and they all went down without much struggle. The general sighed and pulled back after slicing the last one's throat cleanly. She looked down at the ground and wiped the blood off in the grass before looking up and noting how close she was to the camp. About twenty five steps walking upright would place her by the very last tent. She noted how everyone was acting in the camp, how some soldiers were carrying on casually, how the blacksmith was working on forging new weapons for them, and then there was the Legate who was studying the map on a table.

A courier then approached him, saluting the commanding officer before handing a piece of paper. The man took it and then dismissed the messenger. She watched as he opened the paper with her acutely trained eyes. The look on the man's mask told her he was taken aback by whatever was on the message. "Soldiers!" He shouted now. The calm over the hills was disrupted. "Be on the lookout for any Stormcloaks! They just wiped out the Thalmor camp by Riverwood!"

A Thalmor mage then got up by his seat beside the Legate and snatched the paper from the Imperial, eyeing it before tossing it to the side. "I highly doubt a bunch of half wit Nords could pull of a stunt like that. The Dragonborn is still in-"

"The Dragonborn was seen leaving Whiterun almost a day ago with about twenty or so Stormcloaks in tow." The Legate countered with a heightened tone of voice.

Silence.

Aeiron smirked once more and began reaching for her bow. She slowly drew an explosive arrow out of the quiver on her back and lined it in her sights. The chuckle that escaped her couldn't be suppressed when Aeiron saw the color leave the High Elf's face. "W-What?"

"I'm afraid so…"

She let the breath in her lungs leave her and then come back just as easily. "What should we do?" the Justicar turned to the Legate. Half a breath left the general before she let go of the arrow, aiming for the High Elf's throat. When his head exploded cleanly off of his neck as the arrow lodged itself in his neck, the Legate stood there stunned as the Imperial watched the corpse fall back into the tent.

Aeiron meanwhile, was loading another arrow as the Legate turned to scan the nearby area. By the time his eyes widened when seeing the Stormcloak general, she released the second arrow. When the second man fell dead, she stood up and whistled loudly. The Stormcloaks began moving in on the camp within a few seconds.

"STORMCLOAKS!" One Thalmor agent shouted. It did her no good, however, as Aeiron's axe blade wound up digging through her back in the next instant. The general kicked the corpse off of her weapon before moving on to her next victim. She never got tired of the dancing; she never felt a thing. All movement was on auto-pilot.

The switch seemed to flip off when Aeiron turned to see an Elf swing their sword down on Ralof's back. The captain fell to the ground. The general _froze_. The dance stopped. "RALOF!"

* * *

"What time did she leave?" Kodlak raised an eyebrow at the Housecarl. Lydia sighed as she leaned against one of the support columns by the patio while crossing her arms.

"Around midnight." The woman answered with a shrug. "She told me she would be gone for about a week." Her eyes hung heavy as she tried to remain awake. Her Thane had been ever so obnoxious with her cynical laughter as usual. It was a wonder she could fall asleep again…

"Did she say what business?" The Harbinger asked.

"I had a job for her." The two turned their heads to see Vignar walking up the steps alongside the old mead hall. "It was an emergency, I assure you." the Jarl sighed and put his hands on his hips as he looked down at his friend. "Once she comes back from her errand, I'm sure she'll want to do any jobs you have for her."

Kodlak nodded wordlessly and picked up his tankard of ale before taking a large sip. After slowly setting down the metal cup, he looked up at the Gray-Mane once more. "_Where_, exactly did you send her off to?"

Vignar sighed with hesitation. "I can't say at the moment. Top-secret. Rest assured, you'll be the first to know once the situation has been dealt with."

"You mean the issue with the Thalmor patrols passing by Whiterun for nearly a month now?" Kodlak raised an eyebrow at the older man. The doors opened in back of him and Skjor and Aela came outside, closing the doors softly behind them.

"Harbinger."

"What is it, Skjor?"

The one-eyed man sighed. "A message for you." He handed Kodlak a small slip of paper. "They wouldn't say who they were, but that it was in the utmost importance that you got this."

Frowning, he took the paper and then nodded up at the other Companion. "Thank you, Skjor." While he began opening it, Aela and Skjor slipped inside as quietly as they had come out. Kodlak's eyes slowly rolled over the paper as he read the neat handwriting on the parchment. With a sigh, he folded the paper and then handed it to Lydia. "This has something to do with Aeiron."

She took the paper without much hesitation and read it herself. "You're kidding me!"

The Jarl raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"

"I…I don't know…Some sort of cryptic code…" Lydia showed the parchment to the Jarl. Vignar's eyes widened and his breath hitched.

"Those markings are Celtic…"

"But," Kodlak spoke up. "I thought the Thalmor wiped out the Celts." The other old man chuckled and shook his head at the Harbinger.

"Kodlak, these are Aeiron's ancestors we're talking about! The Thalmor could only _hope_ to wipe out the Celts!"

"Forgive me, but who _exactly _are they?" Lydia spoke up with a puzzled expression.

"The Celts, Lydia, are a group of mostly Nord tribesmen residing in northern-Cyrodiil, southern-Skyrim. They have little Elven blood in them, but that's what makes them different from everyone else. They may look like Nords, but they're slightly shorter than the norm. Their mixed blood also makes them more advanced in fighting."

The Housecarl blinked and nodded quietly. Vignar looked at the paper once more and pointed to one of the symbols. "That's the Celtic symbol for "lion". Look familiar?"

Lydia and Kodlak looked at the featured symbol and stared at it. The Housecarl then remembered where she had seen it before. "That's the symbol on Aeiron's battle axe!"

The Jarl nodded with a dry smile. "They're nomadic for the most part, but they tend to live in elevated areas. Not many of them are left, but the ones that are usually have an animal of some sort to represent themselves. Phil used horse to represent himself. Aeiron apparently was chosen as a lion."

By now, some of the other Companions had been quietly coming out onto the patio for lunch and training and had been listening in, including Skjor, Aela, and the twins. Vilkas overheard the last part and raised an eyebrow. "How come there are no books on these "Celts?" he couldn't help but to ask with a skeptical brow.

Vignar looked up at him and shrugged. "I only know so much as Aeiron and her father have told me."

* * *

Aeiron grunted with the weight as she walked Ralof along the road, his arm slung around her shoulders as she held him up with trembling arms and legs and staggering breath. Whiterun gates were slowly coming into view, thankfully. The rest of the battalion stayed at the conquered Imperial camp and rummaged through everything while the general carried her second in command all the way to the nearest city. "We're gonna make it, Ralof. We're gonna make it…"

The two were passing by the stables and Aeiron stumbled somewhat when tripping over a stray rock. "Aeiron…" the older man groaned through gritted teeth. She treated the wound to the best of her ability, closing it with a hot knife and wrapping it up; but he needed to see a healer, and fast. Ralof only heard her heavy breathing in response as he felt the smaller woman tremble beneath his weight.

"Hang on, Ralof. We're almost…" She exhaled heavily, as if almost out of breath. "_There_." They passed over the draw bridge and began rounding the turn that lead up to the small slope of a path towards the large gates. "GUARDS! OPEN THE GATES!"

The guards standing by the gates stiffened and then scampered to open the gates when they saw the general carrying the man on her back. The doors slowly opened before the brunette as she paused at the opening, body shaking with limbs that felt like jelly. As she began stumbling into the city, the general pointed to the nearest city guard. "You! Get a healer from the temple! HURRY!"

The Stormcloak nodded and ran up the stairs to her left as she continued onward, passing by Adrianne and Breezehome. "It's alright, Ralof." She muttered under her breath more to herself than to the half-conscious captain who weakly nodded in reply. "We're gonna get you a healer. You'll be fine. You'll be fine."

His hand gripped her shoulder with a small ounce of whatever strength he could muster as he looked up to her contorted face as she struggled about. Her ears blocked out the gasps and whispers that the people in the market place gave off when she passed by. The city guard standing by Belethor's shop rushed over to them. "Stormblade!"

"Go get the Jarl!" She ordered over her shoulder. The guard nodded and ran past them up the steps. Aeiron slowly began walking herself and the barely-conscious captain up the steps to the wind district. "HEALER! WHERE THE BLOODY HELL IS A HEALER?!"

The party sitting outside on Jorvaskr's patio froze at the voice. Lydia immediately stood up and ran around the building. "Aeiron!" Vignar immediately followed while Kodlak sighed heavily. Farkas stood up and began running when his brother raised an eyebrow at him.

"Where do you think you're going, Brother?"

The stronger of the two men turned to face the smarter of the two. "Aeiron's back. She might need help." Vilkas' scowl immediately vanished as he silently followed his brother to the front of the mead hall. He froze when he saw the Stormcloak general dragging the other man towards the Gildergreen, hunched over to the point of where she looked like she would fall over at any second now.

A healer from the Temple of Kynerath followed one of the city guards as they took the wounded soldier off of the general's back. Aeiron straightened herself as she watched them carry the captain off into the shrine with heavy breath and slits for eyes. Her knees knocked underneath her and finally gave as she tried to walk forward. Vilkas then saw the Housecarl immediately run towards her. "My Thane!"

The general brushed her off, waving at Lydia with a dismissive hand. "I'm fine…" She tried to stand up again but her legs gave once more. Vilkas rolled his eyes and pushed past his brother and Aela, briskly walking over the small bridge to the Gildergreen and then stopping in front of the general. "Get up." He spoke.

Aeiron scowled up at him, her slits for eyes turning an ice blue color from their weakening blue-gray. Her hands pushed off of the ground as he legs tried to support her weight for the third time. She still couldn't get up. The general then fell flat on her stomach this time, still trying to get up off of the ground.

His hand grabbed her arm and then Vilkas pulled her up, one arm wrapping around her knees while the other supported her back. Aeiron's eyes were closing on their own, but she felt cold armor against the skin of face and limbs and then felt the vibration of footsteps as if someone was walking, followed by the loud noises that the armor gave off as he moved. She let herself relax at the familiar feeling of being carried like the way she currently was, only it was a long time ago and her father's arms held her more securely.

Farkas watched as his brother carried the newest Companion up the steps and then pass him by as he kicked open the front doors and walked inside Jorvaskr. The brother smirked and looked up at a worried Lydia before walking inside and sitting down at the table.

"I'm sure Aeiron will be fine, Lydia." He turned to look at the woman with a reassuring smile. Lydia sighed and hesitantly nodded.

"I suppose so…"

Farkas then got up, holding two bottles of ale. He walked over to the Housecarl and handed her one before opening his bottle and taking a long swig of the alcohol.

Vilkas, meanwhile, walked down the steps to the downstairs area slowly. Aeiron was already sleeping soundly in his arms by the time he reached the flight of stairs. He glanced down at her as he carried her into the Whelps' quarters. The Companion paused, searching the room before spotting her bed towards the right end of the room. He slowly made his way over and delicately set her down on the bed before taking off her axe and setting it against the wall while holding her up with one hand.

After that, he guided her back onto the bed, picking up her legs and aligning her body as well as he could. Vilkas finally got a good look at her face; blood stained and clearly worn out. He couldn't help but think how delicate she looked lying on the spare bed. The man shook his head, sighing lightly before leaving the room as quietly as he could and then heading back upstairs.


	9. Chapter 9

**Yay for another update! Let me know what you guys thought? ^^ (Sorry for any OOC...)**

* * *

Warmth was the first thing that greeted Aeiron as she stirred from her dreamless sleep. Her body ached all over in the usual places, and then in other areas she hadn't felt it in a while. The Imperial camp had been more of a challenge then she had first assessed. No one died on her watch, however. The general walked away with that satisfaction.

She felt a person sitting at the edge of her bed by her legs and slowly opened her eyes. "How are you feeling?" Aela greeted the brunette with a small smile. The general sighed and rubbed her eyes.

"Better, I guess…" Aeiron looked around the Whelps' quarters and saw everyone else sleeping in some of the vacant beds. "What time is it?"

"Almost midnight." The Huntress answered her in a low voice before bending over and picking up a bottle off of the floor. She handed the health potion to the brunette. "Here," she said. "You'll feel better after drinking this."

Aeiron automatically recognized the red-ish bottle and took it slowly from the Companion. "Thanks," she let the words out in a hoarse sigh as she took the cork out with her teeth while sitting up on the bed. After spitting out the cork, Aeiron began downing to the bitter potion without much hesitation.

"You've been out for most of the day," Aela finally spoke up again. The general ended her rabid drinking and gasped for air. She wiped her mouth with the side of her hand and looked up at the Huntress.

"So I've gathered." The general commented before taking a more relaxed gulp of the potion, already feeling the effects taking place on her body.

"You caused quite a stir earlier today at the Gildergreen." The older woman's smile widened a bit when she saw Aeiron freeze and look up at the redhead. "Mind telling me what that was all about?"

Sighing, Aeiron leaned back on the wall, staring at the woman apprehensively for a good moment while pursing her lips. She looked away, and then back at Aela before finally caving in. "Raid on the Imperial camp outside of Whiterun."

The Huntress nodded and shifted to face the general more. "Camp raid?"

"Vignar sent me on a little "errand." The brunette emphasized with air quotes. "Take care of the Thalmor-infested camps in Riverwood and outside of Whiterun and as fast as possible."

"But you just fully healed recently-"

"Men were _dying_, Aela." Aeiron snapped, glaring the woman in the eye. "They _hid_ it from me because they _knew_ I would run out the gates and tear them apart the minute that I found out." The brunette paused for a moment when she felt her eyes beginning to sting. She looked down at her lap and bit her lip, playing with the empty bottle in her hands. "I owed them, Aela." Her chest heaved with a heavy sigh and some of the guilt went away. "I owed them for my time off. I should've been there for them."

Aela pursed her lips before letting a hand rest on the younger woman's shoulder. "You did well, Aeiron. You extracted revenge _exactly _as they would've wanted it. You have _nothing_ to be ashamed of."

The brunette looked up at her with a tired smirk. "You think so, huh?"

She nodded. Aeiron laughed dryly before nodding. The Huntress patted the general's soldier before standing up. "Get some rest," she said in a more confident voice. "You'll need it for tomorrow. Kodlak has a job for you." The younger woman nodded and sat up slowly, grunting as she moved. Aela looked over her shoulder at her one last time before leaving the room with a smile.

Aeiron was left to her own thoughts as her thumb rubbed against the bottle when her thoughts began coming back to her. Her eyes wandered around the room, seeing Athis and Tovar sleeping nearby her, and then Ria and Njada by the other end of the room. She then looked over and studied the flickering flame on the candle, watched it dance in the chilly air that hit her exposed skin after moving the furs off of her. The brunette sighed and slowly stood up, groaning lowly when she still felt her sore and tired muscles.

She yawned loudly and stretched her arms over her head as she walked up the stairs leading to the mead hall. It was empty with food cluttered all over the table as usual after dinner. Aeiron walked along the edge of the table, letting her gloved hands run along its worn surface as the flames from the pit made her skin glow as she passed them. Its warmth was welcoming for the brunette, despite the cold night air that somehow always made it inside on nights like this one. A memory then came to her and Aeiron widened her eyes before smiling childishly and laughing lightly.

The same sense of normalcy came over her as if she were seven years back in the past at Lakeview Manor, watching and waiting for her father to whip them up something to eat since she burned everything she touched in a kitchen or over a pot. Closing her eyes, she could smell spaghetti and a loaf of freshly baked bread. The sauce's scent was as thick as he usually made it; rich with meat from that day's hunting trip.

Aeiron would walk around the table just like she was now at seven, eighteen, running her fingertips along the grains of the wood; it became a pleasant habit she did not want to get rid of any time soon. The door opened and she would turn her head from the end of the table where she always wound up when her father came out of the kitchen and brought over their dinner on a large tray. He would raise his eyebrows playfully at her and say "Alright, Scutch, it's on the table." Without fail, she would return the teasing remark with a wide grin and brightened eyes.

The doors to the mead hall slammed open and Aeiron froze where she was, standing in front of the fire pit. She whirled around, seeing a rugged and disheveled Vilkas coming in from the training yard. He immediately froze, standing in the doorway like a startled deer. She was the first to break the silence, laughing nervously and leaning against the table as casually as she possibly could. "Vilkas! What a surprise! Didn't expect you up at this hour…"

The man simply raised an eyebrow at her statement, staring at her as he closed the door behind him without turning away from her. "I could say the same for you, Stormblade."

She raised an eyebrow in response, a smirk at the corner of her mouth in the blink of an eye. "Really?" Her smirk widened as she leaned back further on the table, sighing lightly. "This seems to be Deja vu for me. I distinctly remember you and I having a conversation along the lines of a previous one, maybe?" Aeiron shrugged and pushed herself up to sit on the long table, legs swinging back and forth slowly as she gave him an awaiting look.

Vilkas couldn't suppress the loud yawn that opened his mouth wide and traveled across the room. The brunette pursed her lips to fight back the smile that threatened to spread at the sight of the grumpy Companion's face. "It's too late for this. Goodnight." He slumped his shoulders forward and waved her off with a hand as he made his ways towards the stairs with heavy footsteps.

Aeiron blinked at him stunned and her legs stopped swinging. "Hey! Wait a minute!" she hopped off of the table with a thud and jogged up the small set of steps by the training yard doors before briskly walking after him. Slowly, he turned to face her, annoyance clearly on his face that only he could wear so well and get away with it. Strangely enough, it suited him to look grumpy more so than not.

She slowed down in front of him, exhaling deeply. "I never got the chance to thank you." Vilkas blinked at her, turning so he faced her completely. The general's throat suddenly went dry as she tried to speak up. His eyes kept studying her, almost as if he was intent on hearing what she had to say. "For carrying me in."

The Companion blinked at her some more before sighing. His mouth threatened to rise up at the corners, but he was too tired for _trivial_ stuff. "Next time, ask someone to help you." Vilkas turned away and began heading down the stairs when he felt his arm being pulled back gently. Vilkas sighed sighed and stared up for a moment before he turned around again, seeing the gentle look on her face. Whatever snarky remark he was planning on saying, he fed it to the wolf inside him that never seemed to rest and watch the beast devour it brutally.

"You're dragging your feet and can barely walk right. Let me walk you to your room, at least." Aeiron's bitter sense of humor had seemed to have teleported to a plane of Oblivion at that moment. As hard as he looked, Vilkas couldn't find any reason to argue with her...except for his _pride_. When he tried to pull away, Aeiron held on tighter, her lips thinning out as her eyebrows narrowed ever so slightly.

He watched her, saw the flames dancing in her eyes from the nearby hearth that showed nothing but kindness at the moment. The brunette didn't wait for an answer as she walked past him, still holding onto his arm as she opened the door and pulled him along gently. Vilkas couldn't comprehend the reason exactly that his feet were moving and following her obediently as they were as he matched the slow pace she was walking at.

Their footsteps echoed off of the walls in the stone hallway as they walked along the carpeted floor. Aeiron finally let go of his arm when they passed the Whelps' quarters. She was quiet; a small smile on her face as she glanced up at the Companion. Vilkas was determined to keep his eyes straight ahead as they walked. "My room is over here." He finally spoke up after the long minute of silence. She nodded quietly and followed him to the door and watched him walk inside.

Aeiron's eyes immediately took in the amount of scattered books and other miscellaneous things that were on any clear space on the pieces of furniture. "Oh, wow…!" She immediately brushed past him and walked over to the bookcase that held most of the Companion's collection of literature. Vilkas seemed to wake up mostly at that moment as he watched her pick up a copy of _The Falmer: A Study_ and began sifting through the pages as he eyes took in the familiar content. "I read this once upon a time ago…"

Vilkas had to scoff lightly as he plopped down on his bed and began removing his armor. "I don't believe the Falmer will try to mount a surface assault. They would be far too outnumbered." The man grunted as he pulled off one of his boots. He raised his foot to grab the other one. "Blackreach probably doesn't even exist as well…"

It was the woman's turn to scoff lightly. Aeiron turned to look at him over her shoulder and gently closed the book with one hand on the seam. "Blackreach exists, my friend." She turned to walk over to him and sit on his bed. "I've been there. I should know."

After he finished getting his other shoe off of his foot, Vilkas turned and stared at the brunette who now sat next to him. "You've been to Blackreach?"

Aeiron nodded and then yawned lightly, rubbing her eyes with a sleepy smile. "It's nice there, with the exception of the Falmer, trolls, that one giant down there, and the chorus that are _everywhere_ down there." She groaned dramatically and flopped down on her back, sighing lightly as she stared up at the ceiling. Aeiron then turned to look at the man sitting next to her. "Have you ever been down there?"

Vilkas sighed and tiredly shook his head. "I never knew it existed...what _were_ you doing in Blackreach anyways?" He raised an eyebrow at her, almost angrily. She had to giggle lightly from the look on his face at that particular moment.

"I had to get an Elder Scroll from down there. Went there by myself to get it."

At this point, Vilkas' jaw was about to drop from his face as he tried to form coherent thoughts. "A-An _Elder_ scroll…"

She nodded at him and smiled tiredly before sitting up. "If you heard half of the shit I've done just to get something or to complete a mission, I wouldn't be surprised if you thought I was touched in the head." Aeiron smirked dryly at him before standing up. She looked back at him, seeing Vilkas returning a look of awe as he looked up at her. His armor was still on his body, now completely forgotten.

Aeiron realized that he was still wearing his armor and knocked on it lightly, laughing quietly. "You might want to take that off before you hit the hay." The brunette was at the open doorway when she heard the man's voice quietly speak up.

"Wait." Slowly, she turned around, forgetting about sleep for just a moment longer. "What else have you read?"

A tired smile appeared on her face before she jabbed a thumb towards the cluttered bookcase. "Basically all of the ones on that bookcase over there. I recognized most of the titles that I saw while looking through them." Her hand fell back at her side and Aeiron's eyes seemed to turn into little slits. Another yawn came out of her mouth as she raised a hand to cover it. "G'Night, Grumpy."

Vilkas stared after her for a moment until the door closed behind her quietly. His mind was reeling at the thought of someone else around here having a thirst for knowledge besides Kodlak and himself. He absent-mindedly took off the rest of his armor and piled it on the chest by the foot of his bed. The Companion picked up the book that Aeiron had been looking through earlier, fingers going over the leather and parchment as if he had just received the book.

He eyed the door again, tiredly blinking his eyes before he sat down on the bed and placed the book on the nightstand at his bedside and blew out the only lit candle. His wolf wasn't going to let him sleep any time soon as it roared for more blood that was well overdue, howling for..._her_. Vilkas slammed his eyes shut and tried to clear his intoxicated head. Her scent had drugged the wolf and now made him addicted. And out of all of the women in Skyrim, it finally picked its mate.

The one who was the fabled Dragonborn and a ruthless Stormcloak general that seemed to be the ideal Nord woman, short of her persistence and well, _short_ stature. Aeiron only came up to his jaw, the tip of his nose at most. And surprisingly, he didn't _hate_ her.

Vilkas was just, for once, utterly confused.

* * *

The next morning, Aeiron woke up around nine in the morning by herself in the Whelps' quarters. After downing her armor, fixing herself up and chugging a jug of chocolate milk, she made her way upstairs.

"Look who's awake!" Farkas was the first one to greet her, clapping her on the back and shaking the general's hand firmly.

"Gee, what the hell did I do to receive a warm reception?"

The bigger man rolled his eyes and showed her to her seat next to himself and another empty seat at the mead hall long table. After looking around for a bit, Aeiron raised an eyebrow and turned to look at Farkas, who was ripping off some venison with his mouth. "Where's you're grump of a brother?"

"Still sleeping like the dead, probably." Aela answered as she took a sip from a bottle of ale. Aeiron eyed the older woman for a moment before speaking up again.

"And you _let_ him?"

Aela shrugged. "My brother being woken up in the morning is like fighting a troll with a dagger. You're gonna lose either way," Farkas answered the brunette's silent question.

Aeiron looked over at Kodlak, who simply shrugged lightly. He paused, and then chuckled. "Aeiron," he began. She raised her eyebrow at the Harbinger. "If you can get Vilkas out of bed without getting yourself killed, I'll pay you one hundred gold."

"Hmm," she thought it over for a minute. "Two hundred and you got yourself a deal!" Aeiron shook the man's open hand and then got up and ran down the stairs into the living quarters.

After a silent second, money started changing hands over the long table. "Five septems on Aeiron."

"Fifteen on Vilkas."

"Let's double that, shall we?" Athis and Torvar were glaring at each other when shouting could be heard from the other side of the door.

"WOMAN! WHAT THE HELL?!" They could all hear Vilkas roaring like a savage beast at the brunette.

"Kodlak wants you up! Now. GET. **_UP_**!" The whole mead hall shook at the last word. Old dust and debris crumbled from the rafters above as the building settled once more. The door to the living quarters abruptly opened and Vilkas was roughly thrown up the stairs to the eating area.

Athis smirked as the Nord sitting next to him glared at him and handed him thirty septems. Aeiron walked up the stairs, scowling at the Companion as she passed him and dusted off her hands by clapping them together, paired with a loud "HMMPH!" as she walked back to where she was sitting and resumed her breakfast. Glaring at the brunette, Vilkas got up and sat down next to her, trying to ignore the smirk on his brother's face.

Skjor and Kodlak shared a glance before the Harbinger raised his eyebrows and continued his meal. The other man smirked wickedly and eyed the brunette before doing the same. Aeiron was fitting just _fine_.


	10. Chapter 10

**I apologize for the somewhat late update! I've been busy and still am and I hit a bit of a block up until tonight with the story...So forgive me? ^^ Any feedback would be AMAZING!**

* * *

"How is he?" Aeiron looked up at the priestess after she greeted her when the general entered the temple after breakfast.

Danica pursed her lips at the general's quiet question, looking over at the unconscious Ralof that was resting up on one of the beds in the temple. "He's fine, for now." She sighed after a moment and looked back at the shorter woman's detached look. "Your captain got cut up pretty bad. It'll be a while before he goes charging back into battle."

Aeiron nodded before looking down at the ground. Running water and quiet groans of pain filled the heavy air in the temple as the pause between them dragged out. The general finally looked up at Danica and her mask chipped slightly. "Can I see him?"

The woman smiled wearily before gesturing to the injured man. "Go right on ahead. He's well enough to talk." The brunette smiled appreciatively before walking past the priestess and over to the unconscious blond.

She paused in front of the bed, looking down at Ralof's tired and worn down face as his chest rose and fell at a steady rate. The woman licked her dry lips and gnawed at her lower one as she watched him, fists clenching and unclenching at her sides. Aeiron finally knelt down beside her comrade and rested a hand on the man's forehead. "Captain…"

His eyes twitched at her whisper. Aeiron brushed his hair back and placed her hand back on his forehead. "Ralof…hi." She smiled nervously with a slightly louder voice. The captain began stirring on the bed as his eyes slowly opened and adjusted to the sunlight coming into the temple.

"…Aeiron."

Aeiron let her shoulders drop as she smirked uncontrollably. "Good to see you're still with the living."

Ralof tried to sit up, visibly stiffening up and gritting his teeth while groaning when a searing and sharp pain interrupted him about a quarter of the way up. Both of Aeiron's hands went to his shoulders as the brunette forced him down onto the bed. "Easy now. Danica said no sudden movements."

"Dammit." The captain reluctantly lied back down and looked up at the general, offing her a weak smile for his lack of ability. He sighed heavily before speaking. "I owe you, Stormblade. If it weren't for you, my ass would have been handed to me by one of those damned Elves."

She rolled her eyes in response. "Just goes to show that I can't take you anywhere without having to worry about you, now can I?" Aeiron raised a teasing eyebrow at him, but Ralof closed his eyes and the beam on his face faded away.

"You had to carry me back to Whiterun...You were, stumbling and struggling to hold me up…but you _did._" His hand rose to grasp one of hers that were holding onto the side of the bed. "I…I don't know what I would do without you, Stormblade."

Aeiron stared at him with slowly widening eyes as she processed his words. A dry swallow made her throat feel even drier as he stared at her with his tired azure eyes. She sighed, and then chuckled before raising her other hand to pat his gently. "A lot of people have said the same thing to me, Captain. And I always say the same thing. 'I do what I can.'" She felt his grip on her hand tighten when she rose to get up, but Ralof didn't protest. "I'll be back tomorrow with some mead and a deck of cards for you." She grinned at the captain before walking over to one of the other beds and striking up conversation with one of the other wounded Stormcloaks.

Ralof propped himself up to watch her as much as his body would allow himself, watching her for a good minute before grunting and letting himself flop back onto the bed. He didn't care that he felt the same annoying stinging in his back when his back collided with the stone as he eyed the ceiling. And when he heard her leave, his heart twisted a bit.

When he heard approaching footsteps, the captain looked up to see Acolyte smiling down at him warmly. "Good to see you're awake. Ready for some healing?"

The captain returned the gesture and nodded as he began to sit up with the priest's help. "Sure."

Aeiron quietly left the temple and closed the doors behind her as gently as she could. Her eyes remained glued to the ground the entire process, replaying her conversations with the wounded soldiers. Ralof's remained stuck in her head as she pursed her lips in thought. She knew there was more meaning behind the man's words besides the obvious, and his attraction to her always made her feel uncomfortable, no matter how much he tried to hide it.

They were comrades, and that was it.

_No one should ever love a failure_, she kept telling herself for the past five years. _No one_.

"My Thane!"

The general looked up to see Lydia running towards her. She forced a smile on her face at her approaching Housecarl. "Hi, Lydia. What's going on?"

The older woman didn't waste any time and gave her a slip of paper. "This came for you yesterday. The courier wouldn't say who it was from…" Lydia's words died out when Aeiron snatched the paper from her and opened it with hasty movements, almost ripping the worn parchment.

The general's eyes furiously scanned the symbols and scribbling on the paper before looking at Lydia with absolute disbelief and shock written all over her face. "No…"

"…My Thane?"

_She kept running._

Aeiron had to run. Somewhere. _Anywhere_. And she did just that. The general blew past the Housecarl and nearly tackled her to the ground when she tried to pass her. As she recovered, Lydia looked up and saw her Thane frantically running down the steps. "Aeiron!"

_They were coming after her._

She ran through the wind district with the parchment fisted in her hand, crumpled up and slightly torn. The people in the market barely made it out of the way before the Thane came through in a flash. The guards were struggling to open the city gates in time as she approached them.

_They were fast on her heels. Why wouldn't they go away?_

As soon as she was outside the city, she vaulted over the stone wall and rolled once she hit the ground before she picked herself up and kept running. The burning in her lungs seemed to not exist as she gasped for oxygen while she sprinted over the hilly and uneven terrain.

_ Where was he? Why wasn't he coming for her?_

* * *

"I knew I shouldn't have given her the letter!" Lydia's furious outburst attracted the attention of the rest of the Companions having their lunch in the mead hall. Vignar tried to calm her down by raising his hands in defense.

"Lydia. Relax. She couldn't have gone far…"

"If she carried Ralof back to Whiterun from the Imperial Camp, which is about ten miles from here, in two hours, then she can be pretty far by the time I go looking for her!"

The Jarl sighed and nodded his head. "I see your point…"

Aela approached them and raised an eyebrow at the anger written on the Housecarl's face. "What's going on?"

The black haired woman sighed angrily before turning to face the Huntress. "Aeiron's run off! I gave her the note that came yesterday and she just…took off!"

"Any idea why?" Aela kept her composure. She was sure she and her brothers would find her, one way or another.

Lydia paused a moment before answering the question. "It could've been a panic reaction." The Housecarl looked up from the floor to look at the expectant faces of the Companion and the Jarl. "She told me, though vaguely and briefly, of how she and her father were being hunted for a period of time before they made their way to Skyrim, and even a while afterwards. Apparently, the Thalmor wanted both of them dead, for obvious reasons since her father could shout and was planning on joining the Stormcloak rebellion. He posed a threat and they wanted him and Aeiron gone."

"But how does this have to do with the symbols on the paper?"

"I don't know," she sighed. "She took one look at it and ran off to…Gods know where!"

Farkas and Vilkas looked at each other for a moment before nodding and standing up. "We could help, if you want." Aela offered. Lydia's face immediately brightened up at the suggestion.

"Could you?! I don't think I'll be able to find her by myself." The Housecarl smiled for the first time in that hour as she and Aela turned to look at Vilkas and Farkas.

"Vilkas, Farkas, Skjor went out on a job, so it looks like we'll be the ones looking for Aeiron."

Vilkas nodded and looked up at his brother before eyeing the women again. "It'll be best if we go in pairs."

The Huntress nodded and turned to look at Farkas. "You're coming with me, Icebrain."

Farkas scowled at the nickname. "Really?"

Lydia turned to look at the other twin. "I guess I'm going with you then?"

Vilkas nodded and turned to head for the door side by side with the Housecarl as they followed out Aela and Farkas.

Meanwhile, Ria bitterly downed another bottle of ale as she watched Vilkas leave Jorvaskr.

* * *

The sun was setting fast and there was still no sign of the acclaimed general anywhere. Vilkas and Lydia kept light conversation, the Housecarl usually starting it while Vilkas tried to find her scent in the winds that were growing colder with the approaching nighttime. They covered the southwest of Whiterun with Farkas and Aela covered the northwest portion of the plains.

"We better hurry," Lydia spoke up after a long pause of them covering more rocky terrain. Vilkas shielded his eyes from the sun and looked up, seeing that it was slowly heading towards the horizon and behind the mountains.

"Aye," he agreed, turning back to look at the Housecarl panting. "You alright?"

She nodded breathlessly. "We need to find Aeiron." Lydia replied deprived of air as she marched up to Vilkas' side and continued on with him. The Housecarl eyed the roads warily. "Vampires are still attacking travelers at night…"

"We'll be fine if we avoid using the roads and move slow to avoid being spotted." Lydia nodded, looking down that the ground. "What is she like?" she was surprised when she heard Vilkas ask the question. Lydia paused and looked up at the Companion, seeing him look off to the distant mountains.

"What, do you mean?" her eyes squinted as she tried to block out the dying sun while looking up at the man. He continued hiking along the ground and spoke up again.

"What is Aeiron usually like to be around? I would assume you know her best, after all."

She considered the question, searched her mind and filtered through the one million words that could describe her Thane. "She's…_different_. She has a fixation for chocolate and knowledge, art, and music. Loves to sing in the morning when she sometimes makes us breakfast and I sometimes hear her when she's getting ready. Aeiron has a _temper_. I've never been afraid of anyone as much as her when she's angry." Lydia strangely didn't have to look at him to know he was listening attentively.

"But, she's also one of the kindest people I've ever known. She sometimes plays with this girl that is by the Gildergreen, Lucia. Aeiron calls her 'Lucky Luce' and plays with her whenever she has the time, gives her gifts when she doesn't, pays for her room at the Bannered Mare…" Lydia paused again and looked at Vilkas. "Why do you ask?"

He shrugged, looking up at one corner of his vision. "I just wanted to know how to approach her when we find her."

_"If_ we find her._" _The Housecarl corrected him.

Vilkas raised an eyebrow. "I'm sure we will." He began walking past her while he called over his shoulder. "She was telling me how much of a mother hen you could be. I didn't believe her until now, though."

Lydia stared at him for a good three seconds before storming to catch up with him. "Wait 'till I find her. She'll have an earful from me…"

She thought he couldn't hear her, but Vilkas chuckled breathlessly with a hint of a smirk at the woman's mutterings under her breath. He froze; the clanking of his metal made Lydia slowly come to a halt. "What is it?" she asked, looking up at him and then his outstretched arm that was in front of her. She looked up, and the color left her face and replaced itself with dread.

It was a lone figure, a long cloak blowing behind him as he walked over the distant hill a few hundred feet away from them slowly, almost in calculated steps. The pair could hear the clanking of his armor from where the stood. When he disappeared over the hill, they shared a look before sprinting up the hill to approach the man. When they got there, he was gone.

"What the…" Lydia looked at the Companion for an answer, but he had none. It was if he was never there. By now, the sun was almost completely gone, and the distant glow of two lights caught his eyes.

"Look," he said, pointing towards what looked like an alter with two pillars on either side. Bodies were sprawled out on the ground before the shrine. He could make out a figure that looked like Aeiron's standing in front of the alter, their back facing the pair. "There's someone there."

"Maybe it's Aeiron?" Lydia looked at him and took a step forward.

"Maybe…" Vilkas pursed his lips and then drew his sword. "Let's be careful though. It could be a trap." Lydia nodded and followed his lead by drawing her war axe and followed him down the hill. The pair slowly came closer as they warily approached The Two Pillars, they later realized. When they were about fifty feet away, the stars were shining brightly and there was an aurora glowing above. Lydia sheathed her axe and stood up straight before approaching the figure.

Before Vilkas had a chance to protest, Lydia spoke up. "Aeiron?" The Companion began approaching from the side and saw the flames' glow flickering on the brunette's face. She looked distantly into the flames while clutching her axe by her side with fresh blood dripping from the blade and onto the stone step she was standing on. He sheathed his greatsword and slowly approached her as Lydia was doing. "Aeiron? It's Lydia," she called out to the younger woman in a calm and loving voice, one a mother would have for a child.

The grip on the battle axe tightened and the brunette clenched her teeth. Vilkas eyed the bodies, seeing the dead Vampires lying motionless and stiff on the ground.

"He was here." Aeiron's quiet voice finally replied to Lydia's calling. She turned to face the Housecarl and raised her axe in a defensive stance. The Housecarl froze where she stood and raised her hands in the air. "Why did you _with __**HIM?**_" Vilkas glanced at the shocked Housecarl as the Thane snarled at her, her eyes turning an ice blue color and beginning to glow. He felt his wolf stir at the action, wanting to rise to the challenge, wanting to fight the other animal inside of her.

Vilkas groaned and his hands went to clench his head. _Breathe Vilkas_,he told himself. _Dammit, breathe!_ The Companion clenched his teeth and his eyes began to glow an amber color. Lydia glanced over at him and then back at the brunette. "He left." She replied. "He had some things to take care of…"

"_Why didn't he take me with __**HIM**_?" Aeiron raised the axe higher as the Housecarl took another step towards her.

"He promised to be back!" Lydia quickly interjected. "Your _father_," she spoke more calmly now. Vilkas turned to look at her when she spoke the word "father". "will be back soon. I _promise_."

Aeiron's eyes widened and softened. Her arms lowered and the axe hit the stone beneath her. The general's breathing grew heavier as she stared at the older woman with watery eyes. "Athair…" The brunette's voice grew high pitched as she let go of the axe completely and buried her face in her hands. "_Athair…_" Vilkas's wolf finally began to die down once more. The gold in his eyes flickered away and his silver eyes had returned as he watched Lydia approach the sobbing general and hugged her tightly.

Lydia then turned to look at Vilkas, giving him a sympathetic look as he slowly drew nearer to the pair of women. The older woman then turned her attention to the brunette, seeing her slump forward and her voice dying down and her eyes closing. "Aeiron!" She kept the Thane from hitting the ground, but she wouldn't be able to hold her up forever. Lydia looked up at the Companion once more. "Can you carry her?" she asked while raising her eyebrows. "I'm strong, but she's _heavy_ for being short."

Vilkas trotted over and slowly scooped up the Stormcloak general in his arms for the second time that week. "Muscle weighs more than fat." He calmly told her as he watched her pick up the Titanium battle axe off of the stone ground. Lydia looked up at the Companion and nodded.

"Let's head back. I'm sure that it's safer in Jorvaskr than here with vampires lurking about." The Housecarl stated while nodding towards the corpses by the shrine. Vilkas nodded and looked down at her, seeing the drastic change in her face from a few minutes ago when she was so _angry_. And now, she resembled a sleeping child with how calm she looked. He looked up again when he saw Lydia starting to walk ahead and followed her back to the city.

He looked down when he felt her curling up to his chest about half way back and his grip on her became tighter as he ahead for any dangers that may be hidden ahead. Vilkas had Aeiron in his arms, and he strangely felt inclined to not let her go anytime soon under the bright nighttime sky above them.


	11. Chapter 11

**Happy holidays, guys! Sorry I couldn't update sooner. I've been really busy...anyways, let me know what you guys thought? ^^**

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The chilled wind seemed to cut through Vilkas' armor and made him hold Aeiron closer to him. He and Lydia were about half way back to Whiterun, a time that seemed to crawling along slowly while the aurora above danced and flickered with endless energy. The Stormcloak general had become more of a handful then he ever thought possible within a matter of days. And just when he thought things couldn't become worse, the howling in his ears had reached new heights and was constantly testing the Companion's sanity.

"It's been a little over thirty minutes," the Housecarl informed as she trudged along with the battle axe hanging loosely from her hands. "She should wake up soon... at least, she normally does after these episodes."

"_Episodes_?" Vilkas gave her an incredulous look and blinked his eyes several times. His arms for a brief moment forgot the bundle he was carrying. "You mean this has happened more than _once_?"

Hesitantly, Lydia nodded in reply and eyed the stone-paved road. "The first one that she had while I was around was when I was her Housecarl for only a few days. She completely left the world and was yelling at someone that wasn't there. Apparently, she was recollecting a past experience from when she and her father were constantly on the run."

The woman turned to the sky almost as if she were praying to any divine that would hear her. Vilkas looked back at Aeiron for a moment before looking up ahead at the road. "She kept yelling in some language I've never heard. I'm pretty sure almost everyone in Skyrim can say the same. I asked her about it once and Aeiron said that it was a language called Gaelic, but nothing else..."

"Kodlak might know something. He seemed well acquainted with Aeiron when she first arrived at Jorvaskr." The Companion nodded to he sleeping brunette that shifted ever so slightly in his arms. He meanwhile heard an unfamiliar roar in her blood that made his wolf stir almost uncontrollably. A small inhale of air through his nose made the man's feet stop abruptly and his heart pound faster. Blood seemed to clump at the back of Vilkas's throat as he looked at Lydia. She showed confusion with her uneasy stance and the wary look in her eye. As they slowly turned to look up ahead the scent was already unmistakeable and heading their way, fast.

"Vampires," Vilkas breathed out, almost growling out the word. He quickly turned and set Aeiron down by the side of the road slowly, laying her down as he had in her bed the last time. A choked gasp from Lydia made him turn quickly and draw his greatsword. Five of them, he counted; their eyes the color of blood and their scent wreaked of it as they stalked closer. The Companion's eyes scanned them all, seeing that two were Blood vampires while one was a Fledgeling and two were Mistwalkers. The wolf growled at them and then snapped at Vilkas to change and finally let the beast free. For once, the two seemed to agree on something, but then there was Lydia...

"Give us the general and we'll let you two go," one of the Mistwalkers spoke up; a deathly pale Bosmer with unmarred skin and a young face full of death in her eyes. The five had surrounded Lydia and him by this point and were slowly shortening the distance between them. Vilkas turned his head when he heard metal clatter to the ground and saw Lydia pulling out her war axe, staring the Mistwalker in the eye while scowling. The wind seemed to pick up.

"Lydia...?"

The Housecarl turned to see Aeiron stirring on the ground, rubbing her eyes groggily. She turned on her heel when hearing a loud scream and saw one of the vampires throwing themselves at her with their fangs and claws out, ready for the kill. Lydia began to bring up her war axe but she wasn't fast enough. The next thing she knew, the Housecarl was being pushed down to the ground.

Aeiron beat her to the punch by standing in front of her and blocking with the claws on her gauntlets. The general was pushed back a few inches before she quickly moved one arm away and stabbed the undead dark elf in the abdomen with her claws. She kicked away the elf and tightened her knuckles and flicked her wrists as the brunette turned to face the remaining four. The claws retracted and a pair of blades came from the underside of her gauntlets while her eyes glowed a bright ice blue. Another gust of wind blew by and the other vampires readied their claws and fangs, ready for the kill.

The Celt bared her teeth with her eyes narrowing, hairs on her body standing up straight as rulers. "Is é do chuid fola mianach (your blood is mine), vampires," Aeiron growled out and turned to look at the Housecarl and Companion. "Stay out of this," she turned to look at the undead leeches once more and grinned immorally and her newly sharpened canines were being licked over by her tongue.

One of the Mistwalkers scoffed and flexed his body and rolled his head before beckoning the general towards them. "So be it, Celt. You'll wind up regretting ever breathing those word-"

He didn't get the time to finish. One of the blades on Aeiron's gauntlets had already pierced him right through his chest. She stood in front of him before stabbing him with the other blade and then turning to face the oncoming fledgling. The axe they were wielding was deflected and then Aeiron kneed her in the gut, bringing both blades to stab the Fledgeling in the neck and then kicked her off with the same leg.

The Mistwalker from before came at the general once more. Aeiron dodged and shifted off to the right, tearing a large gash in his arm before once again dodging and countering with an aimed kick to the back of the leg and a swipe to the throat that barely left a scratch. Te other Mistwalker began using a life draining spell on the Celt. Aeiron staggered and fell onto her knees, and then shortly after she was on all fours. Her eyes changed and the glowing died down.

A battle cry and a close call with a greatsword made the undead Bosmer stop the spell and her impish grin fall. Vilkas stood panting for a second before rushing over to Aeiron's side. "Get up!" he yelled louder than he meant to. Aeiron looked up at him and nodded, the blades retracting. Her back faced his and Aeiron clenched her fists and brought her claws forth once more.

"My Thane!"

She turned to see Lydia toss her axe through the air. Aeiron smirked at the Housecarl and caught her axe, twirling it out of muscle memory before bracing herself for the oncoming fight against the four remaining vampires. The wind began to pick up once more. "Vilkas," she eyed him through her peripheral vision through her regular gray-blue eyes. He glanced at her the same way before eyeing the two vampires in front of him. "Have you ever killed a vampire before?"

"Aye." He replied with a small smirk. "I've killed one of everything in Skyrim." Aeiron scoffed at his cocky reply and rolled her eyes. Vilkas' smirk faded and he scowled at her.

"Only one?"

The Companion was about to give her a snarky comment when the four descended upon the two, shouting at them that their lives were about to end. Aeiron reacted first by kicking one away and swinging at the Blooded vampire, grazing its shoulder and part of his back as he shifted and moved in to swing at her with his sword. Vilkas stepped around the general and blocked before kicking him in the gut and bringing his sword down upon the vampire. The greatsword sliced through the vampire's collar bone and down to his abdomen before Vilkas kicked off the corpse and turned to face the remaining three.

Aeiron was meanwhile busy fending off the other three vampires, dodging intensely and fending them off in what seemed to be a dance that took years to memorize. Whenever one of them tried to use a leeching spell, she would step in back of one of the other two vampires just as it was being cast, almost as if she knew what to look for before striking a deadly blow. Her eyes quicky glanced from one side to another, seeing the three lined up in a row. She smirked before opening her mouth and directing her thuum at the three vampires. "Krii, Lun AUS!"

Vilkas watched them stumble back a bit before turning his attention over to Aeiron, who was wasting no time in going for the kill. He scoffed lightly before slicing through the other Blooded vampire. "I forgot you were the Dragonborn for a moment!"

He heard her laugh in bitter amusement but heard no other reply above the clashing metal and grunts from their fight. She dodged and swung at the one Mistwalker's leg and effectively removed the Bosmer's leg below her knee. While she screamed out, Aeiron stabbed her with the end of her axe right through her heart. The other Mistwalker, a Breton, charged at her almost instantly. The general pulled her axe out of the corpse and then dodged.

Aeiron lost a few hairs ducking down and dodging an axe that was sent flying through the air in back of her. The steel axe planted itself right into the Breton's skull and the vampire fell to the ground dead. She turned to see Lydia with her right arm still extended in the air, a small satisfied smile on the Housecarl's face. Aeiron straightened up and smirked while resting her axe on her right shoulder with both hands still on the handle. "Thanks!"

Lydia merely nodded with a frown and walked over to retrieve her axe. Aeiron turned to look at the Companion that was eyeing the corpses warily before sheathing his greatsword and walking over towards the two women. Aeiron chuckled dryly and the other two turned to look at her with a quizzical look. Lydia turned to face her after yanking her axe out of the vampire's skull and wiping the blood off in the grass. "We make a good team," the brunette finally revealed after seeing their expressions with a juvenile smile and twinkle in her eye.

"I suppose," the Companion shrugged with a nonchalant look. Aeiron turned to eye him and beamed, grin widening.

"Aeiron!" Lydia called out.

"Hmm?" She turned to look at the Housecarl, not seeing where her axe was swinging. Te next thing Aeiron knew, something heavy blocked her axe's trajectory and she heard Vilkas yell out in pain, followed out by a long groan. Lydia and Aeiron both turned to see the Companion covering his face with his handsand falling to his knees. "Grumpy...! VILKAS!"

She had just _slapped_ Vilkas with her axe.

"AEIRON!" The said Thane looked up at her Housecarl to see the scowl on her face and cringed lightly.

"I didn't mean to-" she sputtered out while nearly dropping her axe. "It was an _accident_!?" Lydia merely crossed her arms and let the frown on her face deepen.

"Woman..." Vilkas looked up at the brunette through a small peep hole he made through a gap in his fingers and used it to glare darkly at her. The Dragonborn gulped and laughed nervously, lowering her axe in front of her.

"Are you...alright?"

"Ysmir's beard woman...Does it _look_ like I'm alright to you?!" He turned to look up at her and dropped his hands. A lovely shade of red now colored his face where the bridge of his nose would be, and his eyes had an ever so slight tinting of amber to them.

"Now, now..." Lydia thankfully intervened and came between the pair, raising her hands in front of them. She knelt down to help the Companion back up onto his feet. "Let's head back to Whiterun before we encounter _more_ trouble."

Aeiron sheepishly nodded and trudged along side the two back to Whiterun as the sun was beginning to peak over the horizon.

* * *

Through the course of the entire day after being welcomed back, Aeiron made it a point to avoid the grumpy warrior whenever she heard him approaching and left the room the minute he showed up. Vilkas was doing nothing but looking at her with a dark sneer on his face and muttering under his breath about how much of a handful she was. Farkas and the others seemed to find the whole ordeal amusing, much to the general's pain. Aela offered to "reason with the bastard" but Aeiron turned down the offer, despite as good as it had sounded.

Kodlak seemed to reason with Vilkas after he called him down into his room sometime after lunch. No longer was he sneering, but Vilkas sported a scowl whenever he set his eyes on the brunette. And by lunch, she lost all the fucks she could give and merely smiled and waved as she remembered her father doing towards people who hated him with a cheeky grin and a wiggle of her fingers while waving at him from the other side of the room.

She sat at one of the benches by the front doors, slouching and occasionally sipping her chocolate milk while reading one of her books. Farkas sat down next to her and offered her a sweetroll with a small smile on his face. "Don't let Vilkas get to you. He's usually like that."

Aeiron nodded and accepted the treat with a smile in return. "Thanks," she spoke in between bites. "Even though it _is_ my fault he's like this..." The brunette sighed and looked up at the twin with a nervous smile.

"Yeah," he replied. And then he started chuckling slowly, grinning wider when the Companion saw the brunette's scowling at him. "Lydia told me what happened. Gotta say, I wish I was there to see it."

She shrugged and then leaned her head against Farkas' shoulder. Aeiron heard his low chuckle once more before he wrapped an arm around her and rubbed her arm reassuringly. "Thanks, Farkas," she said quietly.

"Anytime," he replied before looking down at her. "Ralof was asking for you earlier. Danica let him get some fresh air before returning to the temple and he stopped by here asking where you were."

Aeiron stiffened, smile dropping and quickly rising from her seat on the bench. "_Feck!_" She turned to face Farkas quickly and started talking a mile a minute with that thick brogue of hers. "Thanks, Farkas! I have to go now..." Aeiron bolted for the staircase towards the living quarters but then stopped on her heel when she reached the stairs, turning to wave at the Companion. "I'll be back later!"

Farkas smiled, clearly entertained as he watched the brunette run down the staircase and hear the doors open and shut in a record breaking time. He sat there for maybe twenty or thirty seconds, about ready to get up and approach Vilkas when the doors opened once more and Aeiron bolted up the stairs and ran out of Jorvaskr's doors. Farkas paused for another five seconds, half expecting her to return, before getting up and walking over to the long table and sitting next to his brother.

Vilkas was munching on a loaf of bread and reading the book that he had returned with after his earlier talk with Kodlak. Farkas sat down as loudly as he could, making his twin glance up at him in annoyance before returning to the book. The bandage on his face where his eyebrows met above his nose was thick and trailed onto the bridge of his nose. He looked absolutely _ridiculous_.

"Nice bandage," Farkas comented as he reached for a bottle of ale, trying to hide the smirk on his face. The comment worked. Vilkas slammed the book shut and slowly turned his head to look at his brother, eyes with a tint of amber to the.

"What in Shor's name do you want, brother?" Much to the twin's annoyance, Farkas' smirk grew as he sipped his ale while holding eye contact.

"You seem distressed, Vilkas. Are you going to continue to glare at her every time you watch her pass by and run out the door for _Ralof_?" He said the Stormcloak captain's name in a teasing manner, and once again he got the response he was expecting; Vilkas getting up and storming away to his room where he could brood with his brother's laughter following him every step of the way there. "Good luck with that!" Farkas called over his shoulder once more. When he heard the doors open and then slam shut, he took another sip of his ale while shaking his head in amusement.

He could read his brother like a book.


	12. Chapter 12

**This one was relatively easy to write for some reason o.o; **  
**Let me know what you guys thought? :D**

* * *

_"Vilkas, come in for a moment."_ _Kodlak greeted him and gestured for him to sit in the empty chair beside the table the Harbinger was sitting at. The younger man looked up at the elder before nodding lightly and slowly taking his seat. He heard the old man sigh heavily. Kodlak avoided his gaze for a moment before turning to look at the younger Companion. "I heard what happened." _

_ Vilkas' hand unconsciously went to the bandage that was where his eyebrows met and lightly squeezed the bridge of his nose in annoyance, blowing out the air in his lungs. "Oh, have you now?" _

_ "I'm not going to laugh, Vilkas. You should know me better than that by now, you of all people." Kodlak looked down the empty hallway through the open doors. Vilkas looked up at the Harbinger and shamefully hung his head lightly, clamping his eyes shut and wondering how things became so _fucked_ in a matter of days. _

_ "Apologies, Harbinger." _

_ Kodlak huffed in reply. "I suppose you want to know about her." _

_ Vilkas' silence was his form of assent as he pursed his lips and nodded his head. The Harbinger looked back at him and smiled wryly. "I knew her father well. Very brave man." He sighed bitterly as he felt a lump in his throat and chest build, looking through the open doors once more. "He joined the Companions after The Great War, and was one of my most trusted friends. He…He was a highly decorated soldier in the war, and he eventually joined the ranks of the Circle." _

_ The younger Companion listened intently, knowing there was more to his tale. "He was annulling his first marriage when he joined. His wife…" Kodlak scoffed bitterly. "She was a complete bitch, frankly. She accused Phil of cheating on her while he was taking jobs left and right to come up with the coin to pay for their two daughters…" he shook his head sadly. "And they were no better than her. Phil was usually tumbling in, sleep deprived and amazingly still able to carry his body to the nearest bench and pass out."_

_ There was a pause. Kodlak didn't know how to continue by the way he was pursing his lips and Vilkas had questions buzzing in his head. "Aeiron isn't a full-blooded Nord, is she?" Kodlak looked back at him and shook his head. _

_ "She's Celtic, like her father." He answered straightforwardly. The wolf twin frowned. _

_ "I've been hearing that word constantly over the past few days. Harbinger," he pleaded. "What does it _mean_?" _

_ "The Celts have been around for a long time. No one knows exactly how long. They're mutts, if you will. A conglomeration of other races, both mer and human alike. Most Celtic tribes dwell in the highlands of Cyrodiil and the low lands and mountain ranges of Skyrim, but they run scare here, my boy; only a handful in each reach and only one in Whiterun."_

_ "Aeiron." Vilkas answered and the Harbinger nodded at him once more before continuing on. _

_ "Phil fell in love with a half-Imperial woman who was also half-Nord." The old man chuckled with nostalgia. "You would laughed at how long and hard he chased her around. He eventually followed her to Cyrodiil and settled down with her and they had the Stormcloak general you see now." Kodlak nodded up the hallway towards the brunette who was making her way to the Whelps' room with a pleasant smile on her face. "In one conversation I had with Phil, he told me that the Celts practice something similar to Lycanthropy."_

_ Vilkas' eyes narrowed as they stared after the woman, but he was listening to Kodlak all the same. "They adopt an animal spirit chosen for them by Kyne. Philip was chosen to house a horse spirit, speed and endurance being increased ten-fold." The wolf still had his eyes on the brunette, who was talking pleasantly with Ria and Athis now, laughing lightly as she gestured Farkas to join the growing party. _

_ "And what about Aeiron?" Vilkas asked, barely thinking about the question and more about who it entailed. She turned to look down the hallway and saw him glaring at her. Aeiron smirked and waved at him for a second before turning to talk with the wolf's twin. _

_ "For a few years after she was born, Phil wrote to me. He told me that she was chosen as an animal that hasn't been housed in Celts for nearly five centuries…until she was born." _

_ "But she's dragonborn," Vilkas finally turned to look at the older man sitting across from him. "How can she house an animal if she already has the spirit of a dragon inside of her?" _

_ "She is dragonborn, Vilkas. Indeed, she has the blood and spirit of a dragon…However, the animal she houses has more influence over her than the dragonblood."_

_ "And," Vilkas paused to look at the brunette once more and watched her pivot on her heels and give a feral smirk. "what animal would that be?" He couldn't hear the beast blood for once; only her laughing voice and Kodlak's telling one. _

_ "A lion, Vilkas."_

_ And suddenly, her thick mane for a head of hair and the way her eyes glowed suddenly made sense. _

Kodlak gave him a book on the Celts, one that he had been re-reading for hours to comprehend the odd language, but it was pointless. It was written in the same language that Aeiron spoke fluently in, and he would rather go _hunting_ that have to socialize with her. He hated her, after all. At least, Vilkas_ thought _he did. It was eleven at night and he hadn't eaten anything since earlier on that day.

Groaning, he slammed the book shut with the hand that held it open and tossed it onto the nightstand before rubbing his face with his hands and forcing himself to gain composure. Vilkas looked at the door and shook his head before he loathingly got up and crossed the threshold to his bedroom door and trudged upstairs to the mead hall.

He grabbed the nearest bottle of ale and popped the cork of with little to no effort before taking a long swig of the alcohol.

_CLANG!_

Vilkas paused and then looked towards the set of double doors to the training yard. He heard it again, much to his disbelief.

_CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!_

Was someone really using the Skyforge to smith something at _this _time of night? Only one way to find out…

As Vilkas left Jorvaskr and opened the door to Whiterun city, the noise of clashing metal indeed grew louder. His feet brought him to the Skyforge and his nose picked up _her_ scent. When he reached the top of the stairs, he finally believed his nose and froze. The bridge of his nose relieved the pain of being slapped by her battle axe all over again.

Aeiron was out of her Stormcloak Officer armor, now donning a pair of bandages on her arms that covered her hands and cascaded past the fabric barrier of her top, which would be something that a man at a tavern would wear; a short sleeve emerald green shirt that was longer on her and cut past the elbow and a chocolate brown vest over that with a belt tying it around her waist. A quiver of steel arrows rested against her back that threatened to spill every time she bent forward. She wore a lighter shade of green pants that were cuffed over at her ankles. Looking down at her feet, Vilkas still noted that she wore her officer boots and her pants were cuffed when they reached her ankles. The embers made her face glow, sweat beading and crawling down the skin of her face from her brow and temples. He treaded with caution, watching as she picked up the metal with prongs and dipped it in the water by her side.

As she went to pick up another piece of Ebony metal, she happened to look up and see the grumpy Companion crossing his arms and eyeing her questioningly with an eyebrow raised. Aeiron smirked at him, as if she was genuinely happy to see him and laughed unbelievingly. "Dia duit!" she shouted at him before turning back to hammering at the black metal. Vilkas was baffled to say the least, blinking his eyes and trying to comprehend what she had just said to him.

"What?" he shouted back.

She paused and turned to face him once more. "Dia. Duit." She said slower this time, smiling pleasantly. "It means 'hello' in Gaelic." Vilkas nodded in understanding as she stared at him for a moment longer before turning back to the forge.

He watched her and the way she was bending the metal into her desired shape, seeing it deform into something that looked like it would be from the planes of Oblivion. Curiosity was finally getting the best of him. "What are you making?" he asked, leaning a bit forward as he did.

Aeiron paused once more, turning to face him with a skeptical look. "What?" her question came out sounding more annoyed than she currently was by the abrupt pause she had to take, but none the less, she appreciated the company.

Vilkas cupped his mouth and shouted louder this time. "What in Oblivion are you _making?_"

"Ohhhh!" she giggled lightly and let her hand holding the hammer drop to her side. "A Daedric bow!" She smiled at his paling face and the way his jaw slacked. A_ what?_

His rapidly blinking eyes showed his disbelief at her answer and she laughed louder this time. Aeiron smirked and gestured for him to come over and observe by her side. Vilkas was walking against his will, but at the same time, he wanted to be closer to the forge and not let the chilling wind blowing through the city slice through his body as badly.

She began hammering away again, clearly an expert on the craft with the way she hammered the metal down in all of the right places. He stared down at the red hot metal before looking back up at the Celt and let the scowl on his face leave him somewhat. "Why a Daedric weapon?" Vilkas asked in a calmer voice as he eyed the brunette.

"They deal more damage. Vampires use them a lot and werewolves have a weakness for them." She answered him, panting lightly from the intense heat as she hammered away at the metal. The wolf growled in annoyance but liked her way of thinking all the same. The beast urged him to keep the conversation flowing after a short awkward pause. Vilkas couldn't help but agree with the notion.

"How long have you known how to smith weapons?"

"Athair taught me." She answered, and then paused to laugh at her own stupidity. "Athair means 'father'." The young Companion nodded and was unknowing to his lips twitching up at the corners. Aeiron went back to her smithing, hitting the hammer a few more times on the metal before switching for the prongs and dipping it in the water once more. She turned to look at him once more, noticing his intense stare on her and blinked up at Vilkas confused. "Something the matter?"

Vilkas was startled when his chain of thought was severed and turned away, frowning deeply while shaking his head. Aeiron stared after him for a moment and then shrugged nonchalantly before returning to her metal work. The ebony came out of the water steaming and Aeiron placed it on the anvil once more. She put the hammer down on the side with a careful slowness in her movements and held out her hand, palm open expectantly.

The Companion saw Aeiron's hand and looked up at her, raising his eyebrows lightly. "Hand me my pouch over there?" She spoke gently, gesturing to the far side of the forge with her head and a small frown on her face. Vilkas eyed her for a moment with cold eyes before doing as she asked, dropping the pack's leather handle in her hand that made her arm sag down with the weight. Aeiron gave him a tense glance before kneeling down and placing the pack on the ground and sifting through its contents.

He watched her produce a Daedric heart from the bag, pounding and twitching in her hand as if it were still alive. Vilkas watched her sullen face as she tossed it up in the forge's flames. The fire glowed a bright red, flames giving off the aura of death. "I don't think Eorlund would appreciate you doing this to his forge," Vilkas finally spoke up, raising an eyebrow as he had before with a disapproving look.

Aeiron turned to look back at him, corners of her lips twitching upwards ever so slightly. "It doesn't last long. He'll never know unless you open your mouth." She didn't wait for an answer and he didn't give one, so she turned her attention back to the flame and picked up the set of prongs to fetch the daedra heart out of the forge's mouth. Vilkas was once again drawn to the way the embers and sparks danced around her, around the beating heart in the prong's metal jaws as she pulled it out from the forge and poured the blood seeping out of the dead organ into the slots in the Ebony bow.

Red lights that mimicked the aurora dancing in the sky above seethed around her. She breathed in the decaying stench around her deeply with a small smirk, almost as if she was unfazed by it. Vilkas by now was holding his nose and it stung for him to keep his eyes open. Why he was still around, he didn't know. "Vilkas," She turned to look up at him. The Companion opened his eyes that threatened to water and saw the calm look in them, envied her for being able to keep her composure with the deadly essence leaking out of the daedra heart. "You can leave, if it's bothering you too much." The general then undid the bandages on her left hand and fished out an oddly shaped dagger from her pack, a black and silver one that had a daedra character on it halfway up the scabbard.

Vilkas watched with widened eyes as she carefully removed the scabbard with her hand and put it down on the stone edge of the forge. The brunette sliced through her palm lightly and let her blood drip into the slots where the daedra blood had been drying. Aeiron breathed through gritted teeth, muttering words that he could barely picked up with his heart pounding in his ears. The daedra blood was making him go insane with rapidly blurring vision and a thirst in the back of his throat that only the wolf could satisfy.

"It's over, Vilkas." She spoke lightly, using light restoration magic to heal her injury on her hand and then turned to look up at him. The flames in the forge by now had returned to normal, the air becoming clearer to breathe once more. Vilkas' vision slowly turned back to normal as he made a blurry outline of the brunette's body approaching him. Aeiron stopped before him and flicked him on the forehead playfully. "Thought I lost you there, Grumpy."

Everything was crystal clear in that moment through his senses. He could see the taunting smile on her face, the mischievous gleam in her eyes, her laughter now ringing in his ears as she turned on her heal and walked back towards the forge. He watched her movements and saw her pick up the bow, blue aura seeping through the Ebony instead of the usual red that he had seen once or twice. Vilkas stared, the aura drawing him closer towards it. "What did you do to it?" he asked with cautious footsteps.

Aeiron smirked and tossed it lightly in her hands once before passing it over to the Companion in the air. He caught it with much ease and didn't flinch as the lukewarm metal rested in his bare hands, sharp and hardening metal poking into his hands lightly. "I did one better." She replied, rewrapping her hand with the bandage from before. With a finger, Aeiron pointed to the bow in his hands. "That, Grumpy," She began, placing her hands on her hips with a confident smirk. "Is much more powerful than any daedric weapon around."

Vilkas blinked a few times before looking back up at her. "How—"

Aeiron picked up the dagger from before and sheathed it in its scabbard before waving it in the air. "I have my ways." She picked up her pack and tossed the dagger in the back without a second thought before approaching the Companion and fetching her bow from his curious hands. "I'll see you around, Grumpy." The brunette shouldered her new bow and waved at him as she walked away, calling over her shoulder. "You hate me enough as is. Wouldn't want to damage your handsome face anymore than I already have, let alone give you a reason to scowl all of the time."

He could practically heart the smirk on her face that was sure to be there, and it was when Aeiron turned to face him. "Shouldn't you be going to sleep?"

"Shouldn't you?" Vilkas countered defensively while raising an eyebrow. The second one rose when he watched her roll her eyes and shake her head.

"Can't. Have to leave now."

"For?"

She had begun walking away already, but Aeiron pivoted on her heels once more and hunched over lightly, almost bowing while her hands were spread open on either side. "Tá na liopaí séalaithe." (These lips are sealed.)

Vilkas furrowed his eyebrows and lowered his hands, beginning to follow after her. Her laughter made him stop as she turned around and marched down the steps.

She reached the bottom of the steps in front of Jorvaskr when a flickering shadow made the brunette drop her pack and draw her bow, reaching in the quiver on her shoulder for a steel arrow. Aeiron aimed past the Gildergreen at a figure leaning against the trunk of the tree, smirking in the moonlight. "Now now, Lass, that isn't necessary." Aeiron's frown lightened and her arms slacked at the familiar voice.

"Well, well, the francach salach (dirty rat) decides to drop by." Aeiron smirked bitterly and shouldered her bow and drawn arrow, bending down to pick up the pack she had dropped.

The red haired man stepped forward from the shadows and smirked down at her, raising an amused brow at her. "It's been a long time, Lass." He continued to walk closer to her.

"A little over four years, to be accurate." She replied dryly, hands going to her hips. "What the feck do you want, Brynjolf?"

Bryn placed a hand over his chest and sighed deeply. "You wound me, Lass. I just dropped by to say "hello" and this is how you greet me?"

The brunette scoffed bitterly. "I know you better than to just drop your "work" for some chit-chat." Her frown returned. "Now what is _it_?"

All traces of humor faded from the thief's face. "I heard about the attack by the vampires."

"Word travels that fast?" Aeiron leaned against the stone wall and crossed her arms, keeping her eyes glued on the thief.

"I did some pokin' around, if you will." He replied dryly and repeating her action, standing next to her and looking down at the brunette.

"What did you find?" Aeiron asked as patiently as she could, her blood was boiling faster than she was counting on.

"I know who sent them." Her silence beckoned Brynjolf to give his answer. His heavy sigh showed his reluctance, but he complied, nonetheless. "The Teaghlaigh want to hold a gathering. They ordered me not to tell you until then."

Aeiron eyed the stone below her feet, cursing under her breath and then looked up at him once more. "When and where?"

"The toppled towers; north of Knifepoint Ridge, this Turdas at midnight."

She nodded and looked down. "Two days from now." Bryn looked down at her with a smirk and then began to walk away.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, Lass," he smirked at her over his shoulder, his brogue flowing smoothly from his lips. Aeiron looked at him boringly and crossed her arms, raising both of her eyebrows. "I'll leave you to your priorities and return to mine." He disappeared into the shadows once more and the brunette rolled her eyes at the other Celt's cockiness. She sighed lightly before continuing past the Gildergreen and casually making her way to Breezehome.

She heard Lydia snoring the second she opened the front door and gently shut it behind her. Aeiron pulled her armor out of her pack and stripped herself of the casual clothes that she wore before donning her armor, putting it on as quickly and quietly as she could. She shoved the clothes into her pack and reached for the nearest sheet of paper and a piece of thinned charcoal that she trimmed for easier writing abilities.

Once she scrawled the note, Aeiron picked up her battle axe and slung it over her shoulder, how bow glowing as it rested below the axe and next to the quiver she still wore on her back. Aeiron looked up the stairs one last time before heading out the front door quietly.

_Lydia, _

_ Gone for a few days, something came up. Visit Ralof for me and figure out some way I can call it even with Grumpy. _

_ -Aeiron_

_P.S. –Say hi to Lucia for me._


End file.
